Taxes, siren testing, provincial funding discussed
Jun 24, 2009 - 04:06 PM
By Kristen Calis
PICKERING -- In an open atmosphere, Mayor Dave Ryan and Ward 2 residents discussed the latest concerns surrounding Pickering Monday.
It was one of the four town hall meetings the mayor holds each year.
Latitia Wise asked why she pays the same in taxes as her mother who lives on a Pickering property that is much larger. Ms. Wise lives in a small townhouse. She says one-and-a-half of her town houses could fit into her mother's home.
"My mother pays only $70 more a month than me," she said.
Mayor Ryan explained the property tax system is based on assessment, and the organization that determines that value is the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. The City takes the assessed value of the home and applies the mill rate to that.
"If you feel the base is incorrect, you have to go to MPAC and fill out a form and they will come and reassess it," he said.
The property tax increase that was passed in Pickering's 2009 budget is 3.53 per cent, meaning an owner with a property valued at $289,400 will pay an extra $37.84 a year.
Another man asked why taxes are lower in Toronto than they are in Pickering.
Toronto has a stronger tax base, Mayor Ryan said, and it's highly supported by the Province.
"That's happened year over year over year," he said. "It doesn't happen in the City of Pickering."
Forty-seven members of Parliament represent Toronto and only two represent Pickering, he said. He noted Pickering's tax increase was the lowest of the five lakeshore municipalities in Durham Region.
"We don't have the benefit of a casino like they do in Ajax," he said.
A number of residents questioned the recent testing of the new public alerting system that's been installed in Pickering within three kilometres of Pickering's nuclear station. The installation is a provincial requirement and a similar system has been installed within three kilometres of the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station.
Mayor Ryan said a number have been installed and are working well. He said the Region would like more but consultants say more are not needed.
"If they've been tested, I don't think anyone in our area has heard them," said resident Ken Devine.
But the mayor said they were tested in short bursts, so perhaps residents weren't home.
One resident asked why other cities are getting more money from the upper levels of government than Pickering. Mayor Ryan said the City has applied for funding for a number of green projects through grants. Some projects awaiting a response are the Duffin Heights storm water management pond and a Krosno Creek storm water facility.
One resident asked what can be done about the growing amount of cars that are parked over night in the area.
Mayor Ryan said parking tickets are given out effectively and randomly throughout Pickering. In Ward 2 alone from January 1 to June 2, more than 1,100 parking tickets were handed out.
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