Mayor Neil Driscoll says provincial politicians are starting to respond positively to the township’s concerns about funding for rural municipalities.
The mayor noted separate grants covering 90 per cent of a bridge project on Sideroad 17 and up to $250,000 in funding for renovations at the Maryborough Community Centre are two examples indicating recent lobbying efforts may be paying off.
A delegation from Mapleton met with municipal affairs minister Bill Mauro at the Ontario Good Roads Association convention in Toronto from Feb. 26 to March 1. It was the latest in a series of delegations from the township at municipal conventions, where local officials get a chance to meet face to face with provincial ministers.
At the March 14 Mapleton council meeting, councillor Lori Woodham said the mayor did a good job of presenting Mapleton’s case that the tax system unfairly penalizes rural municipalities.
“He gave an excellent presentation outlining our concerns with the farm tax rebate. We left a very solid, factual presentation for our minister to think over,” said Woodham.
Prior to 1998, properties assessed as farmland paid 100% of their assessed tax to the local municipality, then filed an application with the province to receive a 75% rebate, paid directly by the province. Since then, farmland, other than the farm residence and one acre, has been allocated a tax ratio of 25%, meaning farmers pay property tax on only 25% of the assessed value of their property. That means the cost of providing the rebate, once shared province-wide, now falls on the non-farm municipal tax base, a policy that hits heavily-agricultural municipalities like Mapleton hard.
In an interview, Driscoll said while the government might not be ready to revise the tax system to benefit rural municipalities, provincial officials seem more willing these days to work with them on funding issues.
“I think they’re realizing the position the farm tax rebate puts municipalities in,” Driscoll said.
Upon returning from previous delegations, Driscoll has stated he was told “your people are taxable,” in response to his concerns about funding.
This time, he said Mauro has facilitated an upcoming meeting with Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and Minister Responsible for Small Business Jeff Leal, to talk about Mapleton’s issues regarding wastewater treatment. Development in the township has been stalled for years due to wastewater capacity issues.
Rather than meeting in a convention setting as one in a series of delegations, Driscoll said he has been invited to Leal’s office in Queen’s Park.
“I do believe our delegations are being heard and we’re finally getting call backs on our presentations,” Driscoll told council.
He also commended provincial officials for taking the time to hear delegations.
“I just give them credit for sitting there all day and every 15 minutes there’s a new group with a new ask,” said Driscoll.
