Regional District Sets Taxes
Prince George, B.C.- The Regional District of Fraser Fort George has approved its tax levy for 2016.The Regional District’s budget for 2016 is pegged at $42.8 million, that’s up $6.5 million from last year. The increase reflects some significant capital projects including the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill entrance re-location project, Conversion of the Mackenzie Regional Landfill to a transfer station, and vehicle purchases for Volunteer Fire Departments.But not all of that money comes from taxation.
The overall tax requisition is up 3.03% over last year, for a total revenue from taxes being $18,055,650.
But the break down among each area varies because of the various service requirements in each area and differing assessment values.
Here is how the tax requisition rolls out for each area, not including municipal debt:
| Area | 2016 Requisition | % Difference from 2015 | Tax per $100,000 of Assessment |
| Prince George | $7,138,586 | +2.76 | $58.97 |
| Mackenzie | $ 469,406 | -1.21 | $71.64 |
| McBride | $ 292,336 | -7.14 | $394.15 |
| Valemount | $ 485,815 | +4.45 | $301.59 |
| Area “A” | $757,548 | +1.75 | $133.44 |
| Area “C” | $854,590 | +2.80 | $143.01 |
| Area “D” | $1,091,773 | +2.22 | $147.92 |
| Area “E” | $348,724 | +2.36 | $161.76 |
| Area “F” | $427,758 | -1.12 | $168.58 |
| Area “G” | $1,444,658 | +0.27% | $117.66 |
| Area “H” | $1,109,568 | +8.62 | $141.38 |
Comments
How many levels of Government do we really need????? the Regional Districts when set up were to provide a voice for rural areas, again it was not something the people really though was the answer however it more forward with minimal cost. That’s all changed to day as the RDs suck up more money as the Province down loads on this level of Governments and they willingly except and build their own empires with very little over site by the public or directors that show up for meetings at $200.00 a pop plus travel hotels, meals , but can provide very little only hear what staff has proposed and stamp it.RD’s have become an expense on taxpayers that far exceeds any benefit that could not be addressed by another levels of Government.
Simply one more level of public sector workers enjoying out of line wage and benefits packages.
For example, there are currently 5 part-time positions listed on their website for what appears to be summer-student type of work. $23.56 per hour!
“Five (5) temporary part-time positions of Environmental Services Worker I are available in Environmental Services to assist with seasonal projects. Employees may be assigned duties at solid waste, regional parks and/or water and waste water treatment facilities.
The primary duty of these positions is to assist in operating and maintaining facilities in Environmental Services and provide support in specific projects. Assigned duties will include, but are not limited to, trimming, working landfill scales, scatter picking, painting, gathering field samples, data/technical information, and providing guidance to the public.”
$23.56 per hour!
ht tp://www.rdffg.bc.ca/uploads/HR/ESW%20I%20TPT%20x%205%20(Mar16).pdf
So are you suggesting that this work is not required to be done? Or maybe you are suggesting that the work can be done by the provincial level of government at the same pay scale?
What exactly is your solution rather than simply complaining?
gopg2015, the problem that I have with things like this is that working people, working people trying to support families, are often working for less than the wages that our Regional District and City deem fit to pay for part-time summer student type jobs!
These same people also have very little choice than to shut up and pay their taxes, the very taxes that the City and Regional District then spend without any consideration whatsoever as to where those tax dollars come from!
In the past, I’ve posted links to the City’s website, showing that they were paying cashiers at the swimming pool and other city venues approximately $22.00 to $26.00 per hour plus benefits! For a cashier?
The Regional District also pays ridiculous rates for basically entry level positions.
But what the heck, the City and Regional District don’t need to worry about their ability to pay! They just raise our taxes, again and again and again!
gopg2015, you seem to be pretty intelligent! Even you should be able to see that there is something wrong with this scenario!
When it came to summer student type jobs while I was in high school. I had a union job in a paper mill. I sat around with a bunch of other guys and worked with a team which looked after paper breaks as well as roll changes when it was full, having to rethread the paper through the rollers. A relatively tough job every few hours, as well as dangerous job in the event one got caught up in the paper as it went to the level below back into the digester.
The rest of the time was spent sitting around playing card, reading your typical macho male magazines … bored to hell. I brought my technical books and was not much liked for that. Eventually learned to be one of the guys. Still more boring.
I got the union wage. So, what is the union wage for a job like that these days at the local mill? I am sure it is more than $23.56/hour.
What you are really doing her is differentiating among different classification of work. It is the way it is set up. There is history to it. It is difficult to change. The system has to change if you want to change it. It is not only government work. It involves many other types of workers as well, including professionals.
The problem is not so much Mackenzie, Valemount and McBride which all have their own local Council. The problem is those who live outside of the boundaries of PG especially as well as immediately outside of those other communities with their onw Councils.
Perhaps the solution is to create “super” Councils which take care of the “donut” areas around the central urban “hole”.
In either case, the same work will have to be done by administration, contractors, and governance individuals which will require additional dollars all around.
Do the calculation for us and show us the full comparison of one versus the other to see where the cost savings would lie and how much.
We all know hart guy wants everyone to live below the poverty line. He dreams of the lesser having no medical. Lousy teeth and scraping by day by day. Never being able to afford to retire..
What a guy… Probably would vote for trump is he could…
Actually P Val, I believe in good day’s pay for a good day’s work! I often don’t see much evidence of the “good day’s work” within the public sector! What I often see is wages that are far beyond those for comparable work in the private sector.
When I see cashiers at the City’s swimming pools being paid well in excess of $20.00 per hour plus benefits, I see higher taxes being paid by people who probably work much harder than the swimming pool cashier while also earning less than the swimming pool cashier!
When I see the Regional District paying part-time labourers, probably summer students $22.00 per hour to do entry level work, I see a single mom struggling to pay her property taxes to the City or Regional District while earning less than the Regional District’s part-time labourer/summer student’s rate of pay!
P Val, what a guy….undoubtedly voted for that Justin idiot!
Public servants could work 24 hours a day and still never provide evidence of “a good day’s work” for the likes of you. They could be working for a dollar an hour and no benefits and you would still consider them overpaid because you have to pay taxes that go toward their paychecks.
Also, what a laugh that a con like you is trying to White Knight for some poor mythical single mother’s tax burden. The only tax burden you care about is the one you have to carry. After all, there are plenty of single mothers working in government jobs with good pay and benefits that you would like to see reduced to a standard of living where they would be struggling to make ends meet.
Oh by the way P Val, many years ago, I worked for the Provincial Government and I belonged to a Union!
I chose to leave that work as I had no desire to lower my standard of work, volume of work and quality of work to the lower standards of most of my coworkers. My work ethic and integrity was and still is worth more than the job security of a union job!
Obviously, yours isn’t!
Bwaahaaahaaaahaaa. This was hilarious. The fact that you think anybody would believe this crap makes me LMAO.
Well, except for the 29% of people that upvoted you which proves there is always a sucker out there and two to take him or her. They are probably the same ones who send cash to claim prizes from sweepstakes that they are surprised to learn they entered. lol
I think that it would be really interesting if government, in all forms, was required to provide a summary of the jobs within their jurisdiction along with the wages and benefits paid for the job!
If they want to increase taxes which will undoubtedly boost wages and benefits, show us what is currently being paid! Some taxpayers might become more vocal if while receiving their increase in taxation, they also received a list that showed that they were paying $22.00 per hour or more, plus benefits for someone to mow a lawn, or $24.00 per hour or more plus benefits for someone to be a cashier at a City facility, or $22.00 per hour or more plus benefits for someone to answer a phone!
When is enough enough? Government never seems to have any concerns that they are paying well beyond the taxpayers ability to pay. They just keep raising taxes!
Oops.. Sorry but I don’t belong to a union..but only make $52.66 a hr.
My work ethic is above reproach. I rock at my job.. But if I had a boss like you I am sure I would feel beaten down, under paid and abused. Just a guess but pretty sure I hit the bullseye.
So, you are I are doing fine!
Now what about the poor man or woman down the road who struggles to make ends meet but is forced through taxation to pay what has clearly been demonstrated on numerous occasions to be excessive wages to public sector workers?
What would you say to that poor man or woman? Would you bother to listen to their concerns about their ever increasing tax burden and the never ending increases in compensation for the public sector? Or, would you boast about your $52.66 per hour?
You criticize me, suggesting that I want everyone to live below the poverty line and that I dream of the lesser having no medical, lousy teeth and scraping by day by day, never being able to afford to retire!
Seems to me that I am far more concerned about the negative effects the never ending tax increases have on these people than you are! After all, you make $52.66 per hour and you can obviously afford more tax increases!
Right?
Quit trying to White Kinight for the supposedly economically downtrodden. It doesn’t become a big C conservative like you. Someone might mistake you for a Liberal or….horrors….a Socialist NDP’r if you keep acting like you actually care about other peoples economic well being.
Taxes are going up just like the assesed values. We are also seeing unjustified hikes to hydro, natural gas, insurance, food, fuel taxes and now MSP and user fees.
So, if you are not making in excess of $20/hr… better be looking to hop into the line at the food bank, or get adopted by a refugee family. Forget about saving for retirement! Most people are experiencing more month left at the end of their money, than money at the end of the month. Soon there will be added fees if your child rides a bus to school.
Word to the wise, get rid of your consumer debt right now! Interest rates will climb to incredible highs soon. If you are currently in a mortgage that you can barely afford, time to rethink where you live before mtge rates return to the heights of the ’80s.
Alberta’s economic crisis is only the tip of what is yet to come. I dont want to be all doom and gloom, but we are headed for a true world wide depression just like the 1930’s. The global economy has been artificially propped up for over a decade, without severe change the crash is inevitable.
It happens at every municipal government. And it will continue to happen until the end of days. I am done complaining about where our tax dollars go. Just keep the price of fuel below a dollar and I am good. No sense of complaining about the cashier at the pool making $22 an hour because next thing you know, their hourly wage will go up to $25 an hour. And the RD reasoning for that is because the cost of living is going up. Whatever happened to paying someone a wage that is relative to the job description?
Whatever happened to paying someone a wage that is relative to the job description?
My point exactly!
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