Centre Wellington council agreed earlier this month to write off over $90,000 in property taxes for 2011.
That prompted councillor Kirk McElwain to note that the write-offs this year “are just a little bit higher” than in the past.
Treasurer Wes Snarr agreed that there was an increase of over $17,000 in uncollectable taxes this year.
His report showed that one business in Fergus wrote down $12,000 in property taxes, but he noted that the new buildings the company erected will more than make up for that.
The write-offs were not for delinquent accounts.
Snarr said that one place was changed from a restaurant to a residence, and the change in zoning class accounted for that write-off.
In a number of other cases, fire destroyed two buildings and those cannot legally be taxed. The same is true for the six houses that were demolished.
In other cases, two swimming pools were removed, and that lowers the assessed value of the property. In three cases mobile homes were removed, also reducing the taxes that must be paid.
And Snarr noted that in one case, there was a manifest error by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, and when that was corrected, the township’s collectible taxes were reduced by over $1,300.
Snarr also pointed out that the township recovers the money it handed over to the county and for school board purposes.
The county lost $37,318 in taxes from the write-offs, and school boards will have to repay $35,458.
The township’s actual reduction for its taxes for the year was $16,254.
