I’ll give you a hint Mayor Green! Don’t give it to the PAC put into the Storm Sewer!

I think it’s time for Xmas bonus at city hall.

This doesn’t seem to have anything to do with benefitting the average taxpayer. These grants look like they are given to city hall as reimbursement for taxes paid on lands/properties owned by city hall. And we all know where city halls money comes from to pay those taxes. Not a dime of it will find a way to helping the average taxpayer out such as helping to pay for storm sewer systems, it will go into general revenue and get lost in the shuffle. This money should have to be itemized as to how it is to be spent for it’s intended purpose.

That is a very interesting figure. $2.2million of $18.2million.

That means that PG got just over 12% of the provincial property tax assessed grants.

That is unbelievable!!

The BC stats figures of BC population estimates for July 12, 2012 are:
BC = 4,622,573 and PG = 76,286.

That means that the proportion of PG’s BC population is 1.65%.

So why is PG getting over 7.3 times as much of the in lieu of property tax grant. If there is not something missing in the equation, such as the GVRD, it does not make sense.

So where are all those expensive properties and improvements here that other places do not have? – UNBC, CNC, Hospital, regional RCMP, Highways, ambulance, etc.

Perhaps we have fewer government leased offices here than in other locations?

“These grants look like they are given to city hall as reimbursement for taxes paid on lands/properties owned by city hall”

If they were owned by City Hall, they would not be taxed. The City does not tax itself, although if they were to operate like BCBC used to at one time, they would take an account of that to determine the potential taxes they are foregoing.

For instance, they built the RCMP station on property which could, in the future, be sold as a highrise project such as hotel or office or even apartment. So, it is a loss of opportunity cost they should account for in making such a decision. It is one more “cost” which goes into that property development. Add an excessive design use of say $3million, and we start to see how poor judgments affect the cost to the taxpayers.

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It is interesting to see that the City bylaws services will be operating out of that building. Couple that with the second office building in the public works yard, and we might be seeing the pressure building to see an addition to City Hall at some time in the not too distant future.

Tear down the Annex to the south of the Hall and build a multi-storey annex out of CLT. Or else rebuild firehall#1 somewhere else, and use that corner to build a new addition to City Hall. After all, come the floods, and that firehall will be sitting in water a few feet deep.

Perhaps the answer lies in the assessment values of the Properties. Prince George is known for having very high assessment values.

How about BC Rail. Do they still own land in the Industrial Park?? Seems to me that they still have a Real Estate Division.

Not sure how things shake out when CN leases property for 99 years. Who pays the taxes??

“Prince George is known for having very high assessment values.”

Yes, in this part of the world, but not in the lower mainland and the island.

Think about the assessment value of UNBC lands in Vancouver against UNBC’s?

Then add BCIT, Simon Fraser, UVIC, and all the other universities and colleges in the province.

Those who lease property are typically required to pay taxes to the City.

So, who does CN lease its property from? I assume that the first avenue yard is federal property. I believe the feds have the same agreement as far as grants in lieu of taxes.

I assume the BCR situation is different, but any “in-lieu of” would eventually land at City Hall.

Not surprising as PG has one of the highest footprints for its population size in BC, that is probably why their portion is so high compared to other burgs, plus being a ‘mecca’ we must have more government offices here than Vanderhoof and Ft St James and the other cities in the area.

Quesnel 35.38 sq kms 10,007 pop
Williams Lake 33.13 sq kms 10,832 pop
Chilliwack 261.5 sq kms 77,936 pop
PG 318.26 sq kms 77,974 pop

In comparison Chilliwack received $55,719 grant this year. Only Vancouver and Victoria were higher than PG when it comes to this grant. We double the Kamloops figure and crush Kelowna which just got over $300k in the same grants. It is payable on land owned by the provincial government within the city limits but excludes schools, hospitals, highways, forests, bare land or parks

Here is the link to the press release:

http://www2.news.gov.bc.ca/news_releases_2013-2017/2013MTICS0010-001698.htm

So, if hospitals and schools – I assume that includes post secondary schools – are exempt, the rest of us are subsidizing those systems.

Since we are paying property taxes for both hospitals as well as the School District, it would be a net zero game. So, I am okay with that.

I have some problem with post secondary systems though. If they were not exempt, we could get additional money, which ALL municipalities really need.

gus states; “So why is PG getting over 7.3 times as much of the in lieu of property tax grant. If there is not something missing in the equation, such as the GVRD, it does not make sense.”

It makes sense, when you look at it as a reward for voting Liberal in the last election. Particularly if the city and municipal governments are right leaning like PG.

Not everything has to do with corrupt government, but when that is what you look for in everything you can explain it that way. Just watched a show on pyramids which was great except for the fact that everything had an alien explanation. Nothing boiled down to super smart people; especially those Mayans; if it wasn’t for the Spanish there would be some amazing cities in South America

Oh really slinky? I think if a Liberal government is capable of doing this, would they not be capable of doing even more?

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/ndp-leaks-emails-on-b-c-liberal-swing-riding-campaign-1.1327342