The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Flin Flon city council has postponed plans to fund police and fire protection through a residential fee, paving the way for passage of its 2013 budget. Council had planned to implement the fee this year, delaying its budget by months in hopes of securing regulatory approval for the proposal. But last week, council had reached a point where it could no longer wait for approval and decided the fee is off the table for 2013 but will return in 2014. Council will now hold a public meeting to present its proposed 2013 budget on Thursday, Aug. 15. The public is invited to attend beginning at 7 p.m. in the city hall council chambers. If the fee had been allowed to proceed in 2013, council had tentatively planned to boost the mill rate by two points. With the fee no longer an option this year, it remains to be seen what changes, if any, council will put forth in terms of taxation. As for the police and fire fee, the Manitoba Municipal Board will hold a public hearing of its own on Wednesday, Aug. 21, also beginning at 7 p.m. at the council chambers. See 'Decision' on pg. Continued from pg. After hearing from supporters, including the city, and opponents, the board, will reach a binding decision on whether council can implement the change beginning next year. This could take weeks or months. Council's plan would see the $1.6 million annual cost of the Flin Flon RCMP and the Flin Flon Fire Dept. removed from property taxes. That amount would then be evenly divided among all taxpaying properties in the community _ about $550 per residential property in 2014. The end result is that low-end homeowners would pay more and high-end homeowners less, with some bills rising or falling by a few hundred dollars. Supporters claim this will bolster taxation equity given the large property tax disparity between modest and upper-end homes. Opponents counter that the fee amounts to Robin Hood in reverse and that by hiking taxes on those with the least valuable homes, council is effectively targeting low-income earners and pensioners. Council typically presents its yearly budget in April, with approval granted by May. The only city councillor opposed to the police and fire fee is Coun. Skip Martin.
