Committee of the Whole to Talk Tax Rates
Prince George, B.C. – The Committee of the Whole will meet tonight to discuss the 2015 tax rate structure in the City of Prince George.
Councillors will mull over three tax rate options presented by city administration:
Option 1: To set the estimated representative home tax increase to 2.5% and obtain the remaining tax revenue required by equally increasing the business, major industrial light and farm rate taxes.
Option 2: Starting from option number 1, set major industrial tax rate to $46.00/thousand and obtain the remaining tax revenue by increasing the business, utility, light industrial and farm tax rates.
Option 3: Starting from option number 1, reduce major industry tax rate to $46.00/thousand and obtain the remaining tax revenue by increasing the residential tax rates.
Back in February, the city’s Finance and Audit Committee presented a 2.5 % scenario.
Council is expected to approve a 2015 tax rate structure to recommend for Council’s approval at its next regular meeting scheduled for April 27th.
Under the conditions set forth in the Community Charter, the tax rate bylaw must be approved by Council no later than May 15th.
Comments
So… 2.5 percent is the minimum increase I take it
that is how I read it slinky
so I am thinking 3 to 3.5% will probably be closer I can see option 3 being enacted.
option 2 is a red herring…..
City Hall needs a long term strategy on taxes. This BS of increasing taxes every year has to stop.
We all know where the majority of the tax dollars are spent, ie; Employee’s, Police, and Fire Department. We need to get some control of these expenses and hold the line on increases.
This Council has a four year term to solve these problems. Hopefully they plan to get to work SOON on how they will do this. The last thing we need in a Council on cruise control for the next four years.
Time to roll up their sleeves and get to work.
There will be no change from the past. The finance team is the same as it always has been. The only difference is the city manager used to be the head of finance.
Good luck council.
City needs to reduce their workforce instead of raising taxes. Instead of constantly milking the taxpayers they need to start being fiscally responsible with the money they already get.
For example, there is no need to be spending over half a million dollars in salaries per year on Human Resource managers. Nor was there any need to give Soltis $10,000 per year more then they gave James. Soltis would have taken the job for less money. She’s a lifer, she wasn’t going anywhere else.
What’s frustrating is they say increases are needed to keep with inflation… However, I never see them taking into consideration the residential house values have increased a fair amount as well. Some properties seeing upward to 10% of an increase last year, which translates to a higher property tax already, without a city of PG tax rate increase.
Add that to the ever-increasing city utility tax. The city isn’t too bad for themselves.
Great way of promoting affordable living..
I have a friend who lives in Quesnel similar home as mine;
Quesnel city utilities $320.00 yearly Prince George $1,128.00
Land taxes $1475.00 in Quesnel, Prince George $2,578.00.
My home is Appraised $40,000.00 higher than his.
This is also taken into consideration all the economic down falls that have happened to Quesnel over the past year. God help us, what will our cost be if say Canfor was no more?
So is that a 5% raise for Soltis – City Manager? Not a good sign on the tax increase side. I guess 2.5% is not too bad. Yes, the last comment is sarcasm.
Amazing the way the city thinks they can keep raising taxes.
Maverick, a few years ago, the city of Quesnel, took the bull by the horns and did something our city can not fanthom of doing. TAX FREEZE.
How about not rehiring retiring staff position. I am OK to have a little less government. Get back to the basics.
Committee best be cautious. This kind of thing cost the last council their jobs.
Complaining out our taxes will have the old “mill rate” as an excuse.. That’s my fav..they say.. Just because your house went up by $75,000 doenst really mean anything because we go by the mill rate.. It’s still a tax that goes up no matter what you call it.
The thing I would like to know is even though nothing has changed in PG you see houses in one area go up by $25,000-$75,000 for no real reason and others dropping the same for who knows why..
prices rise and fall in areas depending on the market. Which is ultimately driven by supply/demand
“prices rise and fall in areas depending on the market. Which is ultimately driven by supply/demand”
pgjohn Share the list of people waiting to move to Prince George. We are ready! Infrastructure is in place for a 150,000 people. Too bad the city forgot to maintain the aging infrastructure before moving on and wasting the tax payers dollars. I am still waiting for something intelligent out of IPG. Glad to see no more consultants have been hired lately. My question is, who will be the next “over paid, close to retirement city employee” let go with a huge severance or “RETIREMENT PACKAGE” attached? Criminal I tell ya!
I think they know exactly wha teh rate is going to be…
they pretend to mull it over to make us think they really care…
I doubt they do….except for themselves.
that doesnt explain the huge swings in appraisals every year.. one year my house goes up $33,500.. next year down $1,000 then up $8200 the next.. has nothing to do with supply and demand.
Where did that goofy committee name come from?
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