Belleville Councillor Jack Miller (File photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte news)
Belleville has decided to fight back on the system that sees large box stores appealing their tax assessments, having them downgraded, leaving the municipality with reduced revenue.
Monday night, city council decided to call on the Association of Municipalities to do something about the way the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation does the assessments in the first pace.
Director of Finance Brian Cousins says the problem is lawyers for the big box stores win a cutback on the taxes.
Councillor Jack Miller noted the city already has a $700,000 deficit and has two months to go in the year.
Miller said there is a need to overhaul MPAC. “We pay MPAC $600,000 a year” to do the assessment job.
Councillor Jackie Denyes noted she had brought forward the motion earlier in the year to not pay the $7,000 increase MPAC had wanted and supported Miller’s motion to ask AMO to take action on the issue.
A staff report shows that about 25% of the city’s $5.1 billion in taxable property assessment is “at risk” and under appeal.
While Belleville council allowed $3.5 million for tax write-offs in this year’s budget, $4.2 million will actually have to be written off, already, as of this month.
Belleville councillor Paul Carr October 23, 2017 (Photo: Mary Thomas/Quinte News)
Expanding transit
Belleville council will expand its public transit service to accommodate people working afternoon and night shifts.
Monday night, council decided to extend the bus service to 12.30 a.m. seven days a week.
There will be stops in the Northeast Industrial Park, at the downtown terminal, and along Bell Boulevard.
Bus drivers will deviate from the route to drop passengers closer to their homes.
There will be a “demand service” by which riders can make appointments to be picked up closer to their homes as well.
The extended hours go into effect on a one-year trial basis January 2, at an extra cost of $200,000.
Councillor Paul Carr asked that the dispatch service be tracked throughout the trial year so that council can see the results “down the road.”
Vacant tax rebate on the way out
It’s now official. Belleville will ask the provincial government to pass the required regulations for the eventual elimination of the Vacant Unit Tax Rebate program in Belleville.
By 2020, commercial/industrial property owners will no longer get local tax rebates on vacant space.
City council voted Monday night to phase out the Vacant Unit Rebate Program over the next couple of years.
Mayor Taso Christopher and Councillor Jack Miller declared conflicts of interest on the issue, and left the room during the debate and vote.
