Township fees set to rise in 2014

December 18, 2013 · 0 Comments

By Mark Pavilons
Fees for using Township services or facilties will be going up in 2014.
King council approved changes to its fee schedule at the Dec. 2 council meeting, with a few tweaks Dec. 16.
In the report by staff, the fee hikes are aimed at recovering costs of providing various services.
Municipalities are constantly facing increasing costs to deliver the essential services that residents require, while maintaining “reasonable and affordable tax and user rates,” said the report prepared by finance director Jeff Schmidt. User fees help offset the costs so King taxpayers don’t have to bear the brunt of the costs. While total recovery is not always possible, user fee revenue is applied against the total costs for the services, before the Township calculates property tax rates.
Staff was asked to review all fees and charges and they were compared to other nearby municipalities.
Bylaw enforcement fees and charges will rise in keeping with the cost of inflation.
A new Commissioner of Oath fee for non-residents has been added and will be $5 higher than that charged for King residents. King has removed the fee for council and committee agendas, as well as rural numbering grid maps. These are available free online.
OMB processing fees are set to rise, as will charges related to the Nobleton Community Cemetery.
The fireworks permit will go from $25 to $40.86 – the same as an open air burning permit.
According to staff, many fees and charges remain the same, and the majority of the increases are in line with the cost of inflation.
“The proposed fee changes are designed to ensure that the cost of providing specific service is fully or partially recovered from the user of that service, while minimizing the cost and effect to all tax and user ratepayers,” the report stated.
The new rates are slated to come into effect Jan. 1, 2014.