County reviews rebate program
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Brant County is reviewing the property tax rebate program on vacant units.
Currently, tax rebates are available to property owners who have vacancies in commercial and industrial buildings. Owners must apply for the rebate, which is administered by the municipality. The current rebate is 35 per cent.
There is also a program that gives automatic tax reductions to property owners who have vacant - or portions of vacant - commercial and industrial land. The program is automatically applied to land by municipalities. The current reduction is 35 per cent.
In 2017, the Ontario government gave municipalities the flexibility to change the vacant unit rebate and the property tax reduction programs. The changes are meant to allow municipalities to tailor the programs to reflect community needs.
Among the options being considered by the county are:
- Maintaining the current program and rebates;
- Starting a multi-year phaseout of rebates, reducing the rate to 30 per cent in the first year, 20 per cent in the second year, 10 per cent in the third year and zero in the fourth year;
- Reducing the vacant or excess land rebate to 15 per cent;
- Changing eligibility requirements to include no partial building rebates;
- Eliminating multi-year applications, with a maximum two years to receive rebates;
The county is looking for public feedback by May 31.
You an complete an online survey at www.surveymonkey.com/r/taxrebates.
For more informations, email Christine Staley, manager of finance, revenue, at Christine.staley@brant.ca, or phone 519-449-2451, ext. 2266.
Open air burn permits needed
The Brant County fire department is advising that open-air burn permits are required in the municipality.
"Whether in the backyard of your home, the cottage or at campground, make fire safety a priority," fire Chief Michael Seth said in a news release.
"Open air burning, especially if left unattended, can become difficult to control and can result in a serioius widespread fire. Open air burning requires a permit.'
Open air burn permits are required when burning large amounts of brush or for large farm-type fires, Seth said.
The fire department says a single occasion permit for open air burning costs $125, which includes up to three days of burning. But fees for the fire department to respond to calls are much more expensive. The minimum fee is $450 per truck, per hour or any part thereof.
Some activities do not require a permit.
"Cooking fires are allowed if they consist of a small contained fire, supervised at all times and used to cook food on grill or barbecue," said Seth.
"Recreational fires are also allowed if they are contained in a fire pit, not larger than one meter, they're supervised and are at least 15 metres away from a building, structure, hedge, fence, roadway and property line."
Cooking and recreational fires do not require a permit.
Road work planned
The County of Brant public works department has issued a public notice that construction work will be done on Powerline Road from Rest Acres Road to Mile Hill Road from now until late fall.
Construction crews will install a watermain, storm sewer and fully reconstruct the road.
Local access and emergency vehicle access will be maintained, and traffic will be flagged through construction, the notice says.
County council earlier awarded a $2.65-million contract to Regional Sewer and Watermain Ltd. of Cambridge to undertake the widening of Powerline between Rest Acres to Mile Hill roads. "It is our goal to minimize any inconvenience to our residents," Joe Murphy, capital project manager, said in a news release.
"The public's patience through any disruption will be greatly appreciated."
For more information, contact Joe Murphy, Brant County capital project manager, at 519-449-2451 ext. 2209; or Nick Van Dyk, county inspector, at 519-449-2451, ext. 2232.
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Brantford Expositor 2018 ©
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