OPINION: THINGS YOU CAN'T SAY IN ELECTIONS ▼ A4
Times
Thursday, May 16, 2013 ▼ Volume 48 No. 20 ▼ www.clearwatertimes.com ▼ $1.35 Includes GST
THE
NORTH THOMPSON
CANFOR TOUR:
Second Place General Excellence B.C. and Yukon <2,000 circulation 2012
Forest company holds open house. See A3 inside.
Blue Ribbon Runner-up Best All Round Newspaper All of Canada <1,250 circulation 2012
Taxes going higher Keith McNeill Clearwater town council approved a proposed 5.82 per cent tax increase during its May 7 meeting. Taxes in the municipality have gone up by an average of about two per cent per year since incorporation, said Mayor John Harwood. An open house held April 9 to discuss Clearwater’s five-year financial plan attracted zero members of the public. The municipality dropped the mill rate substantially in 2011 to help local residents cope with the recession. With the approved increase, municipal taxes on a $200,000 home in Clearwater will increase by $40 from $692 last year to $732 this year. Exactly how much an individual property tax will go up or down would depend on its assessed value. Assessments were mailed out in early January. Property taxes amount to $1.6 million or nearly 40 per cent of Clearwater’s total revenue. Other significant sources of revenue include government grants
and transfers, for $1.2 million or 30 per cent, sale of services (ICBC) for $760,000 or 20 per cent, and service to other governments, for $230,000 or 5.8 per cent. Total revenues for the municipality amount to $3.9 million. Residences pay 51 per cent of Clearwater’s property taxes. Businesses pay 22 per cent and utilities such as the pipeline and railroad pay 21 per cent. Other taxation classes such as major industry, light industry, managed forest, recreation/other and farm make up the rest. Major capital projects for 2013 include the Sportsplex (new changing rooms) at $755,000, and upgrades to the water system (remote monitoring SCADA system, completion of the ultraviolet disinfection system, and fire hydrant replacement) at $386,000. Capital projects in the administration category include renovations to the former Dutch Lake School to make it into a community center, and computer system upgrades and replacements. Total cost will be $225,000.
North Thompson artists show their stuff
Meeting at the voting place Ron Hanson (l) and Brian Hooker come out of the polling place in the Clearwater Legion Hall during voting day on Tuesday. Look for results from the provincial election in next week’s issue of the Times, or online at www.clearwatertimes.com. Photo by Keith McNeill
Upper Clearwater quilter Pat Hanson (l) shows Blackpool resident Helen Knight one of the quilts made by Thompson Valley Quilters for local foster children. The quilt in the Upper Clearwater Hall was just one of many items made by local artists and craftspeople on display last weekend during the second annual Art Crawl sponsored by North Thompson Arts Council. More than a dozen local artists from Avola to Blackpool opened their studios and showed their works during the event. For more photos, see page A11 inside. Photo by Keith McNeill
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