Special interest groups looking to increase the tax burden on their neighbours may have to pony up first in the Region of Queens.<\/p>\n
Council discussed a new policy at their last meeting to levy a $250 fee for special interest groups looking for an area rate.<\/p>\n
Mayor Darlene Norman says the fee will only be charged if council decides to take the area rate request to a public meeting.<\/p>\n
Norman says anytime a public meeting is called it involves staff time, paperwork, and advertising and, just like any business, those costs need to be recovered.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to be that, because the more we give away, then the more the taxpayer pays for things that may not be pertinent to them,\u201d said Norman.<\/p>\n
An area rate is a tax paid by property owners within a set district of the municipality.<\/p>\n
Community groups can ask the region for an additional percentage to be added to a property tax bill to be turned over to that group and used within the community.<\/p>\n
Council also talked about a change to the policy to allow homeowners who do not make Queens their permanent residence, 365 days a year, to also vote on proposed area rates.<\/p>\n
There was some discussion about how absentee owners would cast a vote but in the end Norman says the answer came down to doing what was practical.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou would have to physically, be present, in order to vote at such area rate meetings,\u201d said Norman.<\/p>\n
Council will vote on the motion at an upcoming meeting.<\/p>\n