Committee Recommends Tax Rate
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 @ 3:45 AM
Prince George, B.C. – The Committee of the Whole is recommending Prince George City Council adopt a tax rate that will see residential property owners paying $7.93535 for every $1,000 of assessment. That is up from the $7.79541 per thousand paid last year.
Councilor Albert Koehler was the lone dissenter.
The tax levy needs to raise $83,580,732.00. That amount includes:
- general tax requisition of $70,673,720
- Snow requisition $5,041,636
- Road rehabilitation $4,981,746
- Canada winter Games $2,081,884
- General infrastructure reinvestment fund $801,746,00
"So we’ve baked the pie,(set the levy) now we need to figure out how to carve it up" said Mayor Shari Green.
The Committee examined three options, each of which gave a break to Major Industry and to business class properties. Only those business class properties which saw an increase in their assessment will see their City of Prince George taxes increase.
As for Major Industry, there is a policy in place which requires the City to reduce the level of major industry taxation to the Provincial average over a ten year period. That provincial average last year was $36.87 per $1,000 of assessed value. Last year, the P.G. Major industry class was paying $46.88401 per thousand. The Provincial trend has been to reduce the tax burden on this class following court challenges which ruled major industry was carrying too much.
Council will make the final decision at a meeting of Council on May 6th. The tax rate must be finalized by May 15th.
"We’re going to have some people who are super happy and some who are freaking out because they didn’t see it coming" says Mayor Green . She is open to examining a fourth option, but had no interest in looking at a "spread sheet".
The problem for shifting the burden says Councillor Cameron Stolz, is that there is a much larger pool of residential properties, ( more than 27 thousand) as opposed to the number of light industrial properties, so shifting the burden has a much larger impact on the smaller classes where there are fewer properties.
Over the summer the City’s Finance and Audit committee will be reviewing the Major industry policy to see how, if at all, the rate can be brought into line with the Provincial average.
Comments
A man would look at a spread sheet. I’m not sure who would be “super happy” with another tax increase. Very clueless mayor.
Shari, I could tell you what to do with the pie but I don’t think Opinion 250 should allow it to be posted. I can’t believe I could ever wish that a mayor and council be replaced more than I did the last time around, maybe with the exception of Brian.
Right on BCRacer. Photo-op is much more important than infrastructure.
Breathing the air born pollution will feel much better knowing millions of dollars have been wasted on downtown property purchases, winter games, energy purchase from Lakeland, rather than allocating funds to infrastructure.
“”We’re going to have some people who are super happy and some who are freaking out because they didn’t see it coming” says Mayor Green . She is open to examining a fourth option, but had no interest in looking at a “spread sheet”.
Are you freakin’ kidding me?! Won’t look at a spread sheet? So, what, she’ll farm that task out to that dough-head drone of hers, Stolz?
Not sure I’ve ever agreed with BC Racer before, but certainly do on this matter. It’s said that the electorate deserves the government they vote in; what does this crew say about us?
What promises has mayor Green kept from her campaign in 2011? What positive accomplishments have Mayor Green and this council achieved?
Mayor Green whose election campaign platform was based on a 10% cut in each department is turning out to be nothing more than a pipe dream.
With the highest ever on record, money spent on any Prince George municipal election tells you allot about the politician seeking office. Where the campaign contributions originated becomes evident when one attends a council meeting or two and some things fly through unopposed even when common sense would tell you that it should not have.
The core review and all the recommendations from KPMG are batting near zero. Mayor Green has demonstrated a lack of leadership for council. Example of the lack of leadership is when she chose a trip to China and convinced council we needed a forth twinning city. Mayor Green insisted to the public and council this was a good idea.
The DBIA hit a brick wall with this mayor when wanting a discussion on saving the tax payer a million dollars on the parking meter plan. Mayor Green tells the president of the DBIA to pound salt.
So if our mayor is not interested in saving money, my question is when is council going to step up to the plate and put a stop to this dictatorship mayor Green is running?
These tax increases are excessive when mayor and council can just throw money in the toilet on foolish lawyer bills, China trips and give businesses the break.
Enough is enough!!
Mannn aren’t we taxed enough??? Wish we made what those guys at City Hall make.. wage increases every year… maybe then we wouldn’t even notice the tax increases like them :(
Please review this post and correct the break down of the of funds posted, ensuring the decimal point is in the correct place.
It’s well past time to start cutting the municipal “work” force down to a reasonable and affordable size. 10% this year followed by 10% next year would be a nice start.
Councillor Koehler is the lone dissenter, sticking to his guns which are a message to the City to learn to run the City with the enormous amount of taxes it is already collecting!
Can’t believe that Brian Skakun is not standing up anymore for the people who can least afford to have their taxes raised yet again, after a promise to cut 10% across the board in each and every department!
As for Stolz…where is the logic in his statement?
A little rewording
” so shifting the burden has a much larger impact on the smaller (income) classes where there are (more)properties”.
I think this is what he meant to say
The residential tax rate is getting so high its like paying rent plus a mortgage. I really wish the Hart could incorporate and cut our losses… its not like we get value as it is today.
Notice they have changed the tax increase from percentage to $1000.00 of property value.
The foot work neveer changes.
Cheers
The additional revenue produced by these increases will be used by the City to maintain the status quo in spending.
When will we see some decrease in the cost of running this City. We are wasting money on various and sundry projects, like the Prince George Golf and Curling Club, $147,000.00 per year tax exemption. The Northern Sports Centre is subsidized by the City to the tune of $300,000.00 per year. The Couger franchise costs us approx. $60,000.00 per year. Just these three organizations will cost us over $5 Million in the next 10 years.
In addition we are being taxed and will pay $15 Million for the winter games, and the average citizen will get diddly squat out of these games, other than to watch them for a fleeting moment in time.
Salaries for City employee’s will continue to rise, and we are now getting to the point where people on lower incomes, pensions, etc; are paying tax increases so that City employee’s can get a raise in pay.
Think about that for a minute. Low income earners paying taxes to give increases to high income earners. This is absolute madness.
I do not believe that the Mayor and Council of the day have the smarts, or the intestinal fortitude to solve these problems.
What part of ****reduce spending and staff** do they not understand.???
the difference between homeowners and industry is that property taxes are a business expense while homeowners pay their taxes out of the same pocket that pays for food on the table.
Why is the average homeowner having to subsidize industry by taking more and more of the tax pie so a multinational can get another tax break?
Why is the average homeowner having to subsidize industry by taking more and more of the tax pie so a multinational can get another tax break?
This is because in BC and Canada overall, the business of government is business for government revenues.
Why do you suppose business is subsidized so heavily?
The jobs plan is about supplying workers for resource extraction and economic growth. It has little to do with individual prosperity.
This is, always has been, and always will be until the peasants revolt.
“Let them eat cake”
Good points Loki.
We are in fact getting closer to a tax revolt in the Country and this town. People are starting to realize that the City has little of no regard for their hard earned dollars.
We have been paying taxes for years and year, and have be (at best) getting shoddy service. Most money is blown of stupid, or vested interest projects.
Only in Prince George can you have crumbling infrastructure, and build a $40 Million dollar police station, with an additional $40 Million in interest over 20 years. Total cost $80 Million. Then build a Community Energy System, that in reality serves no useful purpose but costs millions to build.
Hopefully when and if the WIDC is built the City will not get us further into debt with this asinine project. We have already provided the property, and paid for the demolition of the building, and I suspect the removal of any contaminants.
The Boundry Road project will cost taxpayers an additional $6 Million, however I cannot see where this project will have any benefit whatsoever for citizens of Prince ‘George. At best we can expect some industry that is located in the City to move out to this industrial park. Will we get any **NEW** industry?? Somehow I think not.
The City wants to sell off some of our assets like Pine Valley Golf Course, the Swimming Pool Downtown, or the Civic Centre, etc; to reduce costs, and generate revenue. What a load of crap. If you are selling your assets then you are admitting they you are going broke.
Pine Valley actually generates revenue for the City. What they really want to do is sell this property to commercial interests, and channel the funds from the sale into the Capital Projects Fund, so that it can be used down the road for a Capital Project (like a PAC) without going to the people with a referendum, or an Alternative Approval Process. In other words, being able to spend the money without taxpayers consent.
We need to stop the sale of Pine Valley, and therefore stop the City from accessing these funds. Pine Valley is a good fit for the City where it is, and should not be turned into a commercial area, for car lots and hamburger joints.
Community Energy System? Hey! We are slowing climate change or global warming by running hot water down George Street. Right Dan? It’s only around $17 million dollars (of borrowed money). By the by, how much of the interest AND principle are we paying this year on the city’s Approximatly $ 111 million dollars of debt?
Pal, you brough tears to my eyes, please stop it. I hate reality I would like to live in a dream world like our City council.
Cheers
Ongoing opinion poll: Do you support the City spending $1.2 million to bring pay parking back to the downtown of Prince George? Yes 1.9%. No 98.1%
Conclusion: 1.9% are “super happy” and the 98.1% are just “freaking out.”
Posted by: PrinceGeorge on April 16 2013 11:21 AM
Ongoing opinion poll: Do you support the City spending $1.2 million to bring pay parking back to the downtown of Prince George? Yes 1.9%. No 98.1%
Conclusion: 1.9% are “super happy” and the 98.1% are just “freaking out.”
I dare you to ask our mayor if she cares!
Bet she says “I really don’t give a flyin **** what you think”
“Ongoing opinion poll: Do you support the City spending $1.2 million to bring pay parking back to the downtown of Prince George? Yes 1.9%. No 98.1%
Conclusion: 1.9% are “super happy” and the 98.1% are just “freaking out.”
Of course, this also means that city council reads this site and makes up 1.9% of the opinion vote.
“So we’ve baked the pie,(set the levy) now we need to figure out how to carve it up” said Mayor Shari Green.
The pie has been baked alright, overcooked in the taxpayers oven and burnt to a crisp!
“Ongoing opinion poll: Do you support the City spending $1.2 million to bring pay parking back to the downtown of Prince George? Yes 1.9%. No 98.1%
Conclusion: 1.9% are “super happy” and the 98.1% are just “freaking out.”
Hey, look on the bright side: everywhere else, it’s only 1% who are happy and 99% who are freaking out. This must prove that PG is very well-off indeed as we have almost twice as many super happy people! ;)
“”We’re going to have some people who are super happy and some who are freaking out because they didn’t see it coming” says Mayor Green . She is open to examining a fourth option, but had no interest in looking at a “spread sheet”.
Where is the financial discipline? Has the tough conversation to get the Cityâs fiscal house in order come and gone? Were the heads of all departments within City Hall asked to find up to 10% savings? Why have my taxes not been lowered?
During the last municipal election Shari Green claimed that low taxes were needed in Prince George in order to bring back investment and jobs? She claimed if elected Mayor, that she would put an end to the tax and spend status quo that as she said âis stalling our local economyâ.
Half way through their term of office and I see no evidence of lower taxes or of new spending being tied to revenue generation and growth. Taxes are still set well above rate of inflation, user fees have increased by 26% and the City continues to waste tax dollars on pet projects that either make no sense or are not wanted by the Citizens of PG, an example is spending 1 million on new parking meters for downtown PG, a project in which many downtown business owners are against. Money for the new DT parking meters may need to be borrowed, which in turn will increase the Cityâs already high debt load and annual debt servicing feesâ¦..these kinds of decisions coming out of City Hall are not reflective of living within our means or within our ability to pay….many disappointments are way too many broken promises.
oh I get it now – She is going to raise taxes 5% per year for four years and then just before the next election she can drop them 10% and say “see, I kept my promise”
During the last municipal election Shari Green claimed that low taxes were needed in Prince George in order to bring back investment and jobs? She claimed if elected Mayor, that she would put an end to the tax and spend status quo that as she said âis stalling our local economyâ.
——————————————
That doesn’t mean lower taxes for residents and property owners….it means lower taxes for businesses. For example the Husky refinery needs lower taxes so they can be competitive without having to over charge PG residents for fuel. Just like the HST…the idea is to shift the taxes from business to individuals.
Green has no interest in reading a spreadsheet. Is she even capable of reading or understanding a spreadsheet? Doubtful at best.
“Ongoing opinion poll: Do you support the City spending $1.2 million to bring pay parking back to the downtown of Prince George? Yes 1.9%. No 98.1%”
You guys realize this poll is nowhere near scientific, right? Any idiot(s) with spare time can vote multiple times.
Posted by: JohnnyBelt on April 16 2013 10:06 PM
You guys realize this poll is nowhere near scientific, right? Any idiot(s) with spare time can vote multiple times.
Any idiot that has 2 cents knowledge on a PC would know more than one vote from an IP address does not record the vote. Guess the only idiot could be you JB running all over town with your laptop using your buddyâs internet to obscure the poll. You donât need to be smart to post but it helps.
So 57chevy, it seems you are admitting you voted many times.
Have you got anything else to say other than personal attacks and insults?
sorry you took offence JB. guess if your house hold share’s one pc and a view the number may be obscured. LOL you are right JB!!
I don’t take offense to anonymous comments. As for the online polls, even the site administrators admit that the results aren’t scientific.
Comments for this article are closed.