CHRIS LOWREY
MUNICIPALITY OF PONTIAC
Jan. 21, 2020
Taxpayers in the Municipality of Pontiac will see their property tax assessment rise 2.4 per cent in . . .
2020 compared to 2019.
The residential tax rate in the municipality is $0.6975 per $100 of valuation of the property.
For instance, a ratepayer with a property valued at $300,000 would be on the hook for $2,092.50 for the year’s taxes.
The municipal budget will increase from $8,485,991 in 2019 to $9,001,584 this year – an increase of 5.8 per cent.
While the non-residential tax rate will increase 2 per cent this year compared to last, it will serve as less of a shock than the nearly 40 per cent increase between 2018 and 2019.
The tax rate on buildings with 6 or more apartments will also increase 2.2 per cent; agricultural properties will see a 2.4 per cent increase and vacant land rates will go up by 1.9 per cent.
The biggest increase is in the debt service tax, which will increase 13.4 per cent from $0.0584 per 100 of valuation to $0.0674 per 100 of valuation.
Council also took the opportunity at the Jan. 21 meeting to pass a new bylaw regarding the management of council meetings. The course of council meetings, the rules governing public question periods and a code of conduct for members of the public were all set in stone with the bylaw.
Members of the public who wish to ask a question at council meetings must sign a register in advance, although the president of the council may agree to hear a question from someone not on the register.
The bylaw states that questioner will have three minutes to “respectfully ask” a question that is formulated in an “interrogative form.”
During the public question period, council was questioned about the municipality’s communication with residents.
One citizen questioned council on the need to scale back the frequency of the municipal bulletin from once per month to once every two months.
Mayor Joanne Labadie responded that in order to meet resident’s demands for low taxes, the municipality had no choice but to scale back some of the services provided.
