Taxpayers may be shelling out more dollars to elected municipal reps dealing with the added responsibility of the Rainy River District Social Services Administration Board, depending on where they live.
Fort Frances council approved a $80 per diem per meeting Monday for Mayor Glenn Witherspoon, who estimated he spends between five to 10 hours a week on top of the two additional monthly meetings he’s anticipating as the interim chair of the RR-DSSAB.
That’s the same amount any council member gets for attending extra meetings on behalf of the town.
Other members can collect a remuneration as well, depending on their townships’ bylaws. Dawson’s bylaw allows $50 per meeting for Coun. Linda Armstrong while Lake of the Woods calls for $50 for the first four hours, and $100 if it runs over the four-hour mark. That’s what Reeve Valerie Pizey can earn for her work on the DSSAB.
La Vallee’s rep Coun. Emily Watson earns $45 if the meeting is less than a full day, or $100 for a full-day meeting. That is spelled out for any council member attending a meeting on behalf of the township, as long as the committee doesn’t already pay a remuneration.
While Atikokan’s bylaw permits $62.50 for a half-day and $125 for a full day, Mayor Dennis Brown explained he hadn’t collected on that yet.
“[But] that is a possibility through the Township of Atikokan,” he added.
Not all will see dollars for the extra work. Neither Alberton Reeve Judy Koski, Morley Coun. Bill Clink, or the unincorporated area reps are able to collect.
“Our municipal bylaw doesn’t grant an honorarium for extra meetings,” explained Morley clerk Anna Boiley.
“Ours just specifies for council meetings,” echoed Alberton clerk Faye Flatt.
The other district townships could not be reached by press time.
Mayor Witherspoon agreed it wasn’t fair that some RR-DSSAB members, including the three from the unincorporated areas, weren’t receiving remuneration for their work. But he pointed out all reps would have their expenses covered.
“Once the Area Services Board is up, it’ll be worked into just like a councillor’s salary,” he noted.
That legislation passed second reading and is going to public consultation later this summer.
“The sooner we can get the Area Services Board up and running, the sooner we can level the playing field,” Mayor Witherspoon added.
Other tax action
Council looked at many items Monday night that will impact taxation for 1998. Action taken included:
•directing the Administration and Finance executive committee to set a “phase-in” policy which would allow the town to phase-in market value changes;
•referring the issue of graduated tax rates to the Administration and Finance executive committee for recommendation. This enables the town to fix bands of incremental taxation for industrial and commercial properties;
•referring a program that would rebate business properties facing an “unmanageable” tax increase in 1998 due to property tax reform to the Administration and Finance executive committee for policy development;
•allowing landlords locked into a gross lease to put a portion of the property tax–the former Business Occupancy Tax paid by tenants and now to be paid by the landlords–back onto the tenants;
•unanimously opposed implementing a 2.5 percent cap on tax increases for the commercial, industrial and multi-unit residential sectors for 1998;
•will allow up to a 40 percent tax rebate on commercial property tax for eligible charities (impact is to be “minimal”) but not to organizations similar to charities; and
•approved a potential eight years’ tax relief for new multi-residential units who qualify.
