By Staff
April 7th, 2020
BURLINGTON, ON
The wheels are still turning at city hall.
Other than the Chair of the meeting and people from the Clerk’s Office, the Council Chamber is empty. Everyone else is “on-line” waiting for their opportunity to speak.
The day started out at 9:30 with a meeting of the Environment, Infrastructure and Community Services Standing Committee.
When they had finished their business the Mayor took the Chair and convened a special meeting of council to hand out a goody – relief of penalty and interest for property taxes in the months of April and May 2020 and relief of the administration charge for any returned payments during that time.
In her Statement the Mayor said:
The City has received numerous concerns from both the business community and homeowners in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic impact. The City currently has one property tax installment date remaining for interim billing on April 21. The temporary property tax relief will allow businesses and homeowners to make their April 21 installment by June 30 without incurring late payment charges.
Financial supports from the federal and provincial governments are also being introduced to support individuals and businesses. The temporary changes being recommended would mean that for the months of April and May 2020:
• No penalty will be charged for the April 21 installment for all property owners
• No month-end interest will be charged for all property owners in April and May
• No returned payment admin fee will be charged by the City for any returned tax payments (i.e. insufficient funds, stop payment)
• The next tax payment is not due until June 30
Pre-Authorized tax payments will continue to be withdrawn. Individuals on a preauthorized payment plan that are unable to make payment can temporarily suspend their withdrawals from their account by emailing pap@burlington.ca. The City requires notification at least three business days prior to the withdrawal date.
Taxpayers who sent a postdated cheque to the City for their April 21 tax installment and can no longer make payment have been asked to put a stop payment on the cheque at their bank.
Property taxes are the most important revenue source for the city to ensure we continue to provide essential services for residents of the City of Burlington during these challenging circumstances. Taxpayers are encouraged to make payments where possible during these unique times. This temporary relief will be reviewed by staff and council on an ongoing basis until the State of Emergency related to COVID-19 is lifted.
Nice gesture – what will it do to the city coffers? The public will get to learn just how deep in the hole the city will be when this is all over.
Remember the Mayor’s comment: “Property taxes are the most important revenue source for the city” When they run short of cash they turn to the property tax rate.
We are getting Statements from the Mayor on a regular basis – two so far this week
We aren’t seeing any Statements from the members of Council. Maybe they aren’t allowed to speak; that must be particularly difficult for a couple of them – they always have something to say.
During a State of Emergency the deal is that the Mayor is the mouthpiece – they want the message to be consistent – makes sense. But this council isn’t made up of high school drop outs. They are innovate, committed and focused. They were elected and they need to be heard. And the public needs to hear from them. The administration is in place to carry out the will of council.
Other than Statements from the Mayor this city has no clear idea what the will of Council is. We did manage to get a sense as to what Councillor Sharman thinks – he is not a happy camper.
(But this council isn’t made up of high school drop outs. They are innovate, committed and focused.)
Lol….You really just can’t help yourself can you….