City council’s most vociferous infrastructure critic is accusing the city of continuing to mislead homeowners about the purpose of this year’s frontage-levy hike — this time, using a routine mailout.

“This is very misleading,” Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt said.

Every spring, the City of Winnipeg mails out a property-tax brochure to every homeowner in an effort to explain property tax bills.

This year’s brochure includes a paragraph about frontage levies, which council voted to hike to $3.75 per frontage foot from $2.55 per frontage foot. It was the first boost to the frontage levy in 10 years.

“This levy is used for upgrading, repair, replacement and maintenance of the city’s street and sidewalk infrastructure,” reads the brochure.

What the brochure does not say is the 2011 operating budget includes less funding for street and sidewalk renewals. While the frontage-levy hike will add $14.4 million to the road-repair budget, the council-approved spending plan calls for a $15.1-million reduction in property tax funding for the same repairs.

In March, when the budget was tabled, Mayor Sam Katz and finance chairman Scott Fielding (St. James) claimed the levy hike would pay for more repairs. But Winnipeg chief financial officer Mike Ruta confirmed that was not the case.

Opposition councillors lambasted Katz and Fielding for claiming to increase road renewals while spending less on them.

Wyatt renewed that charge on Monday, claiming the pamphlet is at best, misleading, and at worst, an abuse of a routine mailout.

“If you read it at face value, it looks like the money going to infrastructure is going up. Ratepayers wouldn’t be blamed for making that assumption, but the fact is, it’s going down,” Wyatt said.

“Residents should be aware this is not an increase for the sake of funding the streets. It was an increase so Sam Katz could balance the budget. It was a tax increase through the back door,” Wyatt added.

City assessor Nelson Karpa rejected the assertion his department’s pamphlet is inaccurate. The statement in the brochure is not serving any political ends, he suggested in a statement.

“The brochure that is enclosed with the realty tax bill always has been to provide information relevant to the tax bill,” Karpa said. “The brochure is not intended to address issues related to the City of Winnipeg operating budget.”

Wyatt, however, claimed the civic administration is being used to propagate a political message.

“This is not the first time this has happened and probably won’t be the last. The public service is no doubt following orders from their political master, being the mayor,” Wyatt said.

Katz’s office said it stands by the administration’s insistence the brochure is
accurate.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/city-brochure-misleading-wyatt-says-122854004.html

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