Vol. 10 No. 29
YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER COVERING NORTH DURHAM
THURSDAY, JULY 18, 2013
Editorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Entertainment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Scugog Fire Dept. review contract to be awarded
Uxbridge Council balks at quarry, golf course tax assessment DARRYL KNIGHT The Standard
BLAKE WOLFE The Standard
SCUGOG: After deferring the decision for several weeks, Scugog Council will finally award the contract for an operational review of the township’s fire department. During a rare summer meeting last Wednesday (July 10), councillors discussed the review contract in a lengthy closed session, after which council opted to award the contract to Dillon Consulting, as was previously recommended by Fire Chief Richard Miller. According to the chief, the review will encompass the department’s service delivery, including areas such as fire response and prevention, administration and training and mutual aid agreements. The July 10 meeting was organized following a June 24 decision by council to defer the awarding of the review contract to the firm. In that previous decision, councillors criticized the increased price tag of $50,000 - $10,000 more than originally budgeted - quoted by Dillon as well as the lack of a more specific timeline. Mayor Chuck Mercier said that councillors needed more time to discuss the item, which will also be the initial part of a larger fire department master plan to be undertaken in 2015, a document that would examine broader issues such as population growth in the township and how it will affect fire service. TURN TO PAGE 5
HOT SOUNDS IN ELGIN PARK: Geoff Holt and The Orangabangs were among the performers at the first annual Uxbridge Arts and Music Festival, held last Saturday (July 13) in Elgin Park. The event featured music and artists of all genres and mediums. BENJAMIN PRIEBE The Standard
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UXBRIDGE: Special considerations given to gravel pits and golf courses during property value assessment drew the ire of council recently. At their meeting on the morning of Monday, July 15, representatives from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) appeared before council to provide an update on the assessment process. Over the course of their presentation, MPAC representatives Joe Regina and Mike Porporo detailed the process regarding assessments for golf courses and gravel pits that drew council’s ire. As the pair explained, gravel pits are valued based on a variety of land uses and do not take into account the value of any aggregate materials contained within the site. “In a gravel pit, you have acres and acres of land being used for a variety of uses. So we rely heavily on information from property owners,” said Mr. Regina, who added that only active areas of gravel pits are taxed as industrial land. Meanwhile, golf courses are subject to revised values based on changes within the marketplace. “There appears to be increased supply, but declining demand for golf courses, and the market determines value,” explained Mr. Porporo. “It’s been evolving over the past 10 years and we’re realizing what’s happening out there and assessments reflect what’s taking place in the industry.” These rationalizations did not sit well with councillors who derided the practice. “I find it totally unacceptable that you go to two industries and ask ‘would you like to lower your taxes?’ Give me a break, why not go to residential areas and ask the same thing?” pondered Mayor Gerri Lynn O’Connor. “This may force us to fight with the aggregate industry instead of working with them.” Mayor O’Connor added that the municipality could stand to lose more than $500,000 in annual revenue due to the wrinkles in the assessment process and noted the strain such moves may take on the residential tax base. TURN TO PAGE 4
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