County to examine expanding water and tax relief program
Administrator | Jul 25, 2023 | Comments 1
Mayor Steve Ferguson received council’s unanimous support to examine expanding the Municipal Financial Relief Program to homeowners inadvertently left out of applying for assistance.
Council is to receive a brief report at its Aug. 29 meeting outlining how a revised program would work, who would be eligible and how the County will pay for it, as well as a proposed bylaw for the mechanics of putting it in place for this year.
The relief program was a pilot in 2022 and was expanded this year (with 395 applications so far), for County residents having difficulty paying water and wastewater bills and property taxes.
Due to a change by MPAC, (Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) homeowners at Wellington On The Lake no longer have tax roll numbers as they now pay their taxes to the owner of their lands. They therefore, have been excluded from applying for assistance as tax roll numbers are required for the process.
Elaine Jackson, a resident of Wellington On The Lake, told council there has been talk taking place over the past two years about allowing homeowners from there who qualify, to make application.
“We’ve been waiting two years. Another staff report is not needed,” said Jackson. “We receive receipts that are accepted by Revenue Canada, why not the County?”
The report and bylaw to come before council in August will take a look at how to include homeowners who pay taxes indirectly, such as Wellington On The Lake homeowners do.
As it stands, eligible tenants and property owners earn $32,340 (single) or $64,480 (multiple occupants) or less a year.
In September, a maximum grant of $350 could be applied to the water bill and a maximum grant of $750 could be applied to property tax bills. Currently no money exchanges hands as a credit is applied to tax bills and for that, a roll number is necessary.
Applications are accepted from May to August. The municipally-funded program is administered by The County Foundation.
Filed Under: Local News
All that the Leasehold residents at Wellington on the Lake are asking for is to be put on the same footing as every other County resident. MPAC changed the rules and their tax role numbers were taken away a few years back. They still pay property taxes albeit indirectly. They still pay for water and sewer services. The Leasehold section is the oldest section of WOTL and many of those residents retired long ago and are not ‘wealthy retirees’. If they meet the criteria for assistance and a program exists that would otherwise assist them then it is the duty of Council to treat them with fairness. Full disclosure: I do not qualify for assistance and I am not a Leasehold resident.