Tag Archives: Reassessment

Police Force Property Tax Hikes

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Residential property tax increases since amalgamation have averaged less than one percent a year when inflation is taken into account, says city finance chief Rob Rossini, and this year’s 0.7 percent rise in the tax rate actually constitutes an inflation–adjusted decrease of more than two percent. In the last 11 years, all of the increase above inflation can be attributed to the police budget which climbed 5.1 percent this year and now accounts for over a tenth of total city spending, and more than 18 percent of the property tax bill.

Rossini’s figures include the effects of area rating and reassessment – but are city–wide averages so the actual results vary from property to property. In some parts of the amalgamated city, taxes have jumped sharply because of rising property values – or at least the values calculated by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation based on sales of nearby and/or similar homes.

In 2011, the city expects to collect $692 million in property taxes, and provide $130 million to the police. That latter bill is up nearly $50 million since amalgamation. By comparison, the library budget rose just over $7 million in the same period – from $20.2 million in 2001 to $27.6 million this year.

Inflation has totaled just over 27 percent from 2000 to today according to Bank of Canada calculations. Hamilton tax increases have averaged 2.9 percent a year (not counting inflation) over the last 11 years. The hit nearly 6 percent in 2004 and 4.6 percent as recently as 2008, but have been “otherwise very modest” according to Rossini.

“Our tax adjusted increase with inflation is actually below zero last year and in 2001,” he told councillors last month. “I think that’s a very good record.”

The police budget actually recorded one of its largest jumps in 2001 – a 7.7 percent increase – and has only been below three and a half percent once in the last 11 years – in 2010 when the rise was 3.3 percent. In only one of those years did the police budget climb less than the city tax rate (and the difference was only a tenth of a percent) while in most years it has been sharply higher.

The detailed police budget in Hamilton remains secret, although the Toronto police force posts its detailed breakdown on the internet. However, salaries and related personnel costs are known to form over 80 percent.

Hamilton has 793 officers. That’s about 155 per 100,000 people. Halton, with a very similar sized population has 124 officers per 100,000, while Peel Region with 1.3 million people is at 148 per 100,000.

Crime rates have been falling in Canada, with criminal code incidents dropping five percent in 2010 over the previous year.
The crime severity index fell 6 percent in the same period, and crime levels are now lower than 1973.

The most recent annual report (2009) on the Hamilton Police Services website shows a slight drop in criminal calls for service between 2004 and 2009 despite rising population levels. Non–criminal service calls fell 14 percent in the same five year period, and the police budget expanded by nearly $22 million.

Toronto city council is pushing their police force for a 10 percent budget cut. Initially that was demanded for 2012 but has now been extended over two years.

Hamilton city council begins its 2012 budget deliberations later this month with a workshop on the operating budget on October 27. There are two more workshops in early November, and actual decisions start at the beginning of December when next year’s water and sewer rates will be determined.

http://www.viewmag.com/13915-Police+Force+Property+Tax+Hikes.htm

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Board of Revision given 7 months to handle overflowing Winnipeg tax appeals

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Approximately 8,500 appeals were received by the Board of Revision from property owners of Winnipeg and the Board is expected to get these cases done for only seven months.

Back in April 2008, there has been a reassessment of 200,000 properties spear headed by the city government. This move let them know that the value of homes, condo and duplexes in Winnipeg was raised by 78 per cent since 2003.

It was in late 2008 and early 2009 that the 2010 preliminary assessment notices were mailed. Those were with assessor’s proposal to get into details of the new values with a series of meetings. Then, the final assessment letters were sent this spring, letting the recipient know about their right to appeal with the city’s Board of Revision.

One thing that the officials didn’t anticipate is the overflowing appeals that they received upon the submission deadline. They had to deal with 2,995 appeals in total.

“It may be sticker shock. They see the number change,” said John Karpluk, appeals manager with the Board of Revision.

On the other side of the coin, many homeowners mistakenly believe that if their home increases in value by 78 per cent, their property taxes will jump that much as well. But that’s not how property-tax system works: Residential property owners only stand to see some form of increase if the value if their home rises more than the city-wide average.

For example, a home assessed at $200,000 in 2003 that was reassessed at $300,000 in 2008 may actually see its property taxes decrease, as the 50 per cent jump was well below the 78-oer-cent average rise for residential properties.

“Just because the value of your land has gone up, doesn’t mean your taxes are going up,” said St. James-Brooklands Coun. Scoot Fielding, city council’s property and development chairman.

Property taxes could increase next year provided the city council’s approval. Just reminder, the council has frozen the property tax for 12 years now so, the only increase in property tax revenue today comes from new developments.

The Board of Revision will hear its first appeal on July 13 and expects to wrap it up after 7 months. About 60 per cent of the appeals involve residential properties, appeals manager Karpluk said.

The assessments conducted in 2008 do not kick in until the 2010 taxation year. Beginning in 2010 property assessment will take place every two years, instead of every four.

Residential property owners who are not paying their 2009 taxes on the installment plan have until June 30 to pay the city. A lemonade stand like kiosk has been placed on James Avenue on the north side of city hall to allows customers to swoop by without in the queue inside.

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Prepare to get hosed

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Education Minister Nancy Allan has signalled that property owners should prepare to be hosed by education tax increases this year.

Ms. Allan, of course, did not frame the signal in those words — she said this week that the government will not order school divisions to freeze tax rates — but it cynically amounts to the same thing.

Ms. Allan has not been long on the job. But she has been on the job long enough to know that a perfect storm is gathering around education property taxes, one from which she should be seeking to shield taxpayers. But instead, she declares it’s every school division for itself.

The perfect storm starts with the divisions, which have been agreeing to pay more teachers much more money to teach ever fewer children. Contract settlements have reached several times the rate of inflation, the most recent at 4.8 per cent, which will quickly become the norm for all. Why the settlements are so high is anybody’s guess in the current economic climate. But given the current economic climate — the government, which promised a balanced budget last spring, is already $600 million in deficit — the province is not going to be paying those wage increases, which leaves the hapless property owner, as Ms Allan must know.

To complicate — or is that implicate? — the situation, tax assessments this year have climbed on average 67 per cent under the recent reassessment. That dramatic rise, however, should not lead to a dramatic increase in property taxes. If everyone follows the City of Winnipeg’s policy of cutting mill rates by a 67 per cent equivalent to offset the expanded assessment base, a tax grab by stealth will not occur. That’s a policy, however, that the school divisions have ignored in the past, claiming to have frozen tax (mill) rates knowing that they would raise more lucre anyway. In 2002, for example, Winnipeg division raked in an extra $8 million under the scheme.

And what are taxpayers getting for this? The NDP government in its wisdom refuses to require standardized tests so there is no way of knowing. All we know is that in the absence of data, the province has reduced the school year from 200 days to as low as 193 to placate Labour Day vacationers, and it has guaranteed teachers that 10 of those days will be set aside for professional development.

At the same time, there are 136 more teachers on the job, in part because the government did not want to appear soft on obesity and declared that the reduced time in class should be further reduced by sending students to the gym.

So why is Ms. Allan ignoring all this and refusing to freeze education taxes? Because, while she’s a new minister, she is playing the same cynical game as the old ministers.

The government needs money, now more than ever, to cover the fact that its spending problems are bigger than its revenue problems in these tough times. Giving the green light to school divisions relieves the government of its responsibility to properly fund public education, as opposed to public education tax rebates.

But even more cynical is that, while the government refuses to accept responsibility, it hectors and lectures school trustees for raising property taxes in the absence of sufficient provincial funding.

Which is what Ms. Allan announced — she will not freeze taxes, she instead will pass judgement when taxes are raised.

So prepare to get hosed. But don’t blame the boards. This is the minister’s doing.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/editorials/prepare-to-get-hosed-81060087.html

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Your 2010 reassessment notice

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You will have received one or more of the following types of assessment notices:

•a real property notice for buildings and land
•a personal property notice for certain equipment or machinery
•a business notice, if you operate a commercial enterprise and your municipality levies a business tax or fee

This updated assessment may affect your 2010 property taxes. Please take a few minutes to review your notice, including the important information on the back.

The Manitoba Government is reducing property taxes across the province by:

•increasing the Education Property Tax Credit since 1999, to $650 in 2009.
•eliminating the Education Support Levy on residential property, saving residential taxpayers $100 million annually.
•increasing the Farmland School Tax Rebate to 75% in 2009 from 33.3% in 2004.

Why has my property been reassessed?

Under provincial legislation, all properties across Manitoba are being reassessed regularly to:

•ensure taxes are fairly shared according to the assessed value of owned or leased properties.
•ensure assessed values keep pace with real estate market conditions.
•help property owners understand and evaluate their assessments.

When does this new assessment become effective?

The new assessment becomes effective in 2010, and will be used on your 2010 property tax statement. Assessment notices are being mailed well in advance of the 2010 tax year to benefit:

•you as a property owner, as you will have more time to review your assessment and discuss it with an assessor.
• your municipality, as there will be more time to finalize assessments before the final roll is needed for tax purposes in 2010.

How can I get more information about assessments?

On the Internet

You can obtain assessment information via the Internet at www.gov.mb.ca/assessment where you will find:

•answers to frequently asked questions
•assessments of all properties in Manitoba except in Winnipeg (Winnipeg assessments are available at www.winnipegassessment.com)

Meet an assessor in a community near you

As well as being available at our offices, assessors will hold Open Houses in many communities, offering you a convenient opportunity to discuss your assessment. Dates and locations for the Open Houses are listed on the back of this brochure.

Property Tax Assessments to be Mailed Soon

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2010 Property Tax Reassessment Notice: WHY? WHEN? HOW?

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WHY?

Under provincial legislation, all properties across Manitoba are being reassessed regularly to make sure that taxes are fairly shared according to the assessed value of owned or leased properties. This is also done to ensure that the assessed values keep pace with real estate market conditions and help property owners understand and evaluate their own assessments.

WHEN?

The new assessment becomes effective in 2010, and will be used on your 2010 property tax statement. Assessment notices are being mailed in advance of the 2010 tax year. This action will benefit you as a property owner, as you will have more time to review your assessment and discuss it with an assessor. It is advantageous for the municipality too, as there will be more time to finalize assessments before the final roll is needed for tax purposes in 2010.

HOW?

Conveniently, you can get your assessment information online by visiting www.gov.mb.ca/assessment. Here, you’ll be informed about the assessment of all properties in Manitoba except in Winnipeg (Winnipeg assessments are available at www.winnipegassessment.com). You will also find answers to frequently asked questions.

Another way is to personally visit an assessor in a community near you. Assessors will hold Open Houses in many communities, offering you a convenient opportunity to discuss your assessment.

Property Tax Assessments to be Mailed Soon

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New City Winnipeg Tax Assessment System

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When REALTORS® do a comparable market analysis, or CMA, on a property; they apply their expertise to a rigorous review of sales and listings of similar properties to determine what this property should sell for on the MLS®. If a property goes on the market this month, the CMA provides a sale price based on current market conditions, including other competing listings, prospective buyers for that type of property and the real estate market in general (e.g. consumer confidence, interest rate environment, etc.)

Accepting the final sale is an arm’s- length transaction, meaning it occurred on the open market between a willing buyer and a willing seller. The sale then potentially provides a good reference for others to as certain what their property may be worth when sold on MLS®.

Over the last year, the city’s property assessment department used 200,000 properties in Winnipeg to determine on a given date what each property would sell for on the open market. The new assessment roll for June 2010 property taxes is based on the market value of properties in April 2008. Continue reading →

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