If the Township of Mapleton was for sale, a buyer would have to shell out well over a billion dollars to close the deal.
According to information provided by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), the total assessed value for the 3,716 properties on the township’s tax roll at the end of 2011 is $1,407,352,300.
Still, that’s pocket change compared to the nearly two trillion loonies ($1,802,759,272,977) you’d need if you wanted to buy up all the assessed property in the province of Ontario.
MPAC municipal relations representative Matt Stubbs brought the figures to Mapleton council at their Aug. 14 meeting, as part of an information package on the corporation, which is tasked with assessing and classifying the nearly five million properties in the province.
Stubbs’ visit was designed to inform the municipality about services provided by MPAC to municipalities and property taxpayers.
In addition to determining current value assessment on properties in the province, MPAC processes requests for reconsideration from property owners.
Province-wide, 40,769 taxpayers asked MPAC to reconsider the assessed value of their property last year, with 18 of those requests coming from within Mapleton.
Stubbs informed council about the various methods property taxpayers could use to access information from MPAC.
Taxpayers, he explained, can view, free of charge, all the detailed information for their property contained on MPAC’s database by registering online at www.mpac.ca (AboutMyProperty) or through a written request.
Taxpayers may also obtain information on up to 24 additional properties of their choice and up to six selected by MPAC through the system.
A personalized ID and password to AboutMyProperty was included in every assessment notice mailed last fall.
Councillor Andy Knetsch asked about access to the AboutMyProperty system for taxpayers without internet access.
Stubbs noted that Service Canada offices provide public internet access and Mayor Bruce Whale pointed out the Drayton library also provides public internet access.
“Anyone who really just can’t get access, can call us and we’ll do everything we can to help them,” added Stubbs.
To contact MPAC by phone, call 1-866-296-MPAC (6722).
In thanking Stubbs for the presentation, Whale commented the information was helpful for municipal officials who “sometimes get frustrated with delays” when dealing with the corporation.
“It helps us understand the size of the task you have at MPAC,” he said.
