the city decides to "not raise taxes" yet again

the city was already charging whatever it was...$20 per load? that was both revenue and cost recovery for the operation of the dump. now the prov is saying you must charge X more. dont worry we will give 80% back.. BUT they dont say it will be directly back and the understanding is that it will come back in the form of other types of rebates for environmental iniatives. SO it wont be coming back to pay for the operation of the dump.

fees at Brady went up as well.

Brady was charging $2.00 a load for res in 2008...and then they went up to $3.00 for a while in 2009 and then they jumped again and I believe it was October to $10.00...and...

$22.50 a kg for commercial until October 2009 when it jumped to $43.50 a kg after October 2009...GGF

yup

read the whole article on the changes... pretty much 100% mandated by province.

I just remembered about these fee increases...

A demolition permit cost $30.00 in 2008 for a garage or shed regardless of size...The same demolition permit now costs $250.00 today and that is for any shed/building that is bigger than 108 sq ft...and...the same jump applies for a building permit or moving permit for that same size of shed/building of 108 sq ft and a 108 sq ft works out to be slightly bigger than a 10 by 10 shed...I know because I got caught up in that mess with the city last Sept (09) as a result of my nut neighbor and I was also caught up in it in a similar mess back in 2008 as a result of trying to obtain a demo permit for a house we sold and I was responsible for the demo....and...the city refusing to issue a demo permit for a residential home until the building permit was approved which was the buyers responsibility and not mine etc...To this day the city will do everything in it's power to "Prevent" a demo permit residential to be issued before a building permit is issued...and the city has been doing this for years already and that is a fact...I'll cover some of the reasons why at another time...and for now...

"All" the fees that are now being charged by Planning and property are outrageously disproportional since the increase and I believe it was July or August 09....

And now if you do the following and connect all the dots...Look at the new memorandum by-law being introduced and do the math...after you are forced to get your new zoning cert. by the city and city $$$...What happens next?...If any of us think that the city will not at some point in time force us to "upgrade"...Everybody is asleep which is just the way Sammy and this administration like everybody to be...so more city $$$

And here is another sinister catch...The new derelict building by-law that will allow the city to come right in and take your property complete with the land it sits on at some point in time if you disagree with the city...and more $$$ for the city...For me it is "Unbelievable" what I continue to see with these cronies and mainly Sammy...GGF

Mandated by the province at $10.00 a ton...which works out to approx. $4.55 a kg and not a $10.00 minimum fee which is what I said earlier etc...GGF

So what is the issue here? The City is inreasing user fees and/or implementing user fees rather than a broad based realty tax increase...and there's a problem with that?

A $10 fee for dumping at the landfill, why is that outrageous?

It's not the point...but all "fees" combined is the point...GGF

Not really, if I don't use the service, then I don't pay the fee, however a general tax increase means I subsidize services which I do not, am unlikely to, or receive little to no benefit from..

For example, if I am diligent and conscientious, and reduce, reuse and recycle, put my scraps in a composter, etc, I have comtributed to keeping refuse collection costs down. I like the idea of user fees and maintain taxes to pay for basic and essential services. How does that not make sense?

For the record the increase in dump fees is probably a good one and not specifically the point of conversation which is mainly about "all fees" that you will eventually have to pay and some you already pay for like on your water bill right now which who knows if that water rate increase is going where it is suppose to be going which is for water upgrades which Sammy is in the war with the province over...GGF

I believe the water rate increase came in Nov...and look back at my other previous comments about the front levy and property taxes...GGF

And also forgot about your mill rate is calculated at 2008 property values which the city was never that close behind with it's mill rate year of calculation like it is now...So yeah...Did you get your new property tax bill yet...Ours increased by $33.00 a month...We are on TIPP and we had our notices in Dec...GGF

water rates have increased several times in the last few years to pay for our new water treatment plant and to pay for the sewage treatment plant upgrades.... supposedly... lets see what happens when we are caught up and the new water authority is humming along...

I know and what I find funny is when Sammy told us we now had the cleanest drinking water in Wpg which made me wonder what I had been drinking all these years...GGF

We do have the cleanest drinking water, but I don't rely on "Sammy" to tell me that.

Frontage levy is more appropriate to cover city services (street clearing, etc)

@GGF, is is just that you don't want to pay more for anything, or would you prefer an increase in realty taxes?

I suspect it is the latter.

We have this "let's not raise property tax" philosophy" in Winnipeg. While I like the concept the reality is altogether another thing. So, if they want to keep property taxes at some artificially low number they have to find a way to cover always increasing costs.

Improving productivity is one way. Like reducing overhead. Like contracting out services.

Increasing user fees is another. Like Freeman says let's charge increasing fees to those that overindulge. Like dumping fees.

I'm all for user fees provided we don't create a whole new bureaucracy to support them, like this new property thing. And provided the user fees don't GREATLY exceed the cost the fees were intended to cover. Like this new property thing.

My only real objection to the property tax freeze that Sammy is always boasting about, is that it is said in the context of saving everyone money. The fact is the money is being taken in a different way only, and it is disingenuous, imo, to associate the freeze in this way. It's simply dishonest imo.

I would 100% agree with a property tax increase that is visible and also transparent...because there are simply much worst things in life than a modest property tax increase such as...

If you do the math to "all" the increases here in Wpg just in the last year or so with Sammy...Everyone is paying more right at this moment and all without completely realizing it...and...

And a perfect example is with the front levy tax that was collected previously which who knows where the money that was previously collected went because for obvious reasons our streets or infrastructure here in Wpg are always getting worst rather then better...

This front levy was applied several years ago mainly to tackle the problem with the old sewer pipes and also if you remember the major basement flooding that Wpg had in 1993 where the city sewer system backed up and the reason for that was because the city was mainly using only one pipe to take both the residential sewer waste and the street waste which the city corrected over the last 10yrs (1994-2004) because that was how long the province gave the city...

At any rate the front levy was mainly applied to fix this problem and should have technically been removed but remain anyways...and still there today but now has been redirected to mainly to maintenance and street repairs apparently...and truthfully it is hard to tell exactly were it has gone because governments and mainly Sammy loves to refer to things as coming from "general revenues" which completely drives everyone crazy and I could explain that some other time...

At any rate the point here is simple...It's a very slimmy way to move money around and then not account for it and then redirect the collection of more money in the form a water rate increase etc and force everyone to pay more without most realizing it...

When Sammy stands up and says that he hasn't raised property taxes...Most Winnipeggers know that he has done much worst and it's an insult to most...

You cannot continuously spend the way this mayor has and not account to the taxpayer where the money is coming from and also pretend like there are no property tax increase(s) which there has been/is because of the new mill rate(s) adjustment to current 2008 property values etc...and this one is bit funny because Sammy knows better than to have both the new mill rate adjustments and tag a property tax increase and also have an election in the same year...It would be a political minefield and disaster for him...None the less...

The point here is simple...Sammy's math doesn't add up anywhere and sooner or later the math will have to come out and the thing that is the most scary is if he manages to win in October...You watch what happens and the math that will follow...It's all there already and he knows it...He just doesn't want Wpg to yet...and just a reminder of how this mayor controls that entire council and every time one stands up to him...they have in the past been shot down...It's been his style since he got elected..."Money and power" and control with little or any regard for the voters or the taxpayers...He does what he wants and that's it...Take it or leave it which is a form of a dictatorship and not a democratic way of doing things and very scary in the long run which is one of the reasons the left is united against him...They want him out and for excellent reasons...and I am not saying that I personally am for the left or right...I also personally what Sammy out and as fast as possible...and more reasons/evidence why at some other time...GGF

Yeah, yeah, yeah, we got the hint that you don't like Katz (The "Sammy" thing is getting a little much) But to put all of this on his back is just crap.

Anyway, back to taxes, I, too, would much rather see a tax freeze on the back of reduced expenditure, but the imposition of user fees is long overdue. The great socialist experiment that we all share the burden hasn't worked well either, so realistic user fees are a good alternative.

Just as long as they don't charge to get into the zoo.

"Just as long as they don't charge to get into the zoo."
heh... that little freebee left us what? 14 years ago now?

Deank wrote:"Just as long as they don't charge to get into the zoo."
heh... that little freebee left us what? 14 years ago now?

WHAT THE HELL!!! Now we really have something to complain about.

Yup...and there's more yet to come...GGF

GGF wrote:Yup...and there's more yet to come...GGF

More what...you complaining or more user fees?

You'll see...more about a very dangerous by-law and the WPS and so much more...But that it for now...GGF

So, this forum is your venue to vent about the Mayor. What did he do to you? Kill your dog, insult your mother, what?

More of my wife and my story in relation to the subject matter to come at a later time...What was done was done and I simply have to leave it at that for now for the moment...and many already know our story which is "unfolded" and is still unfolding and not complete yet and very, very real...GGF