City refutes property tax statement

By Adam Brazeau 
CORNWALL, Ontario – City officials have shot down claims made by the Community Action Group (CAG), a collection of local business people, regarding Cornwall’s property taxes in comparison to neighbouring counties.

The following is the official press release issued Saturday by the city’s public information coordinator, Kevin Lajoie.

The Cornwall Community Action Group recently released a statement that made use of the City of Cornwall Municipal Election logo.

The City of Cornwall would like to clarify that the logo was used without permission and the City does not endorse the contents of the communication by this group.

The statement makes reference to property taxes in Cornwall as well as the Townships of South Glengarry and South Stormont. It also makes reference to taxes in the City of Windsor.

The City would like to offer some clarification and context to the statement through the following facts:

Municipalities like the City of Cornwall establish a municipal tax rate each year.

Revenues from government funding, user fees and other sources pay for a portion of municipal services and the balance is paid through property taxes.

From 2009 to 2014, the City of Cornwall’s municipal portion of the residential tax rate has decreased by 14.40 per cent.

By comparison, South Glengarry’s municipal portion of the residential tax rate decreased by 10.18 per cent and South Stormont’s municipal portion of the residential tax rate decreased by 4.94 per cent during the same time period.

The City of Windsor’s municipal portion of the residential tax rate has actually increased over the same time period by 3.17 per cent. It should also be noted that in 2014 the municipal residential rate in Windsor is 12.4% higher than the comparative rate for the City of Cornwall. 

For a detailed breakdown of rates, please see the accompanying chart in this article’s picture section.

With respect to attracting residential development, from 2009 to Sept. 30, 2014, the City of Cornwall issued 1,083 building permits for new family units (all types).

By comparison, from 2003 to 2008, the City issued 645 building permits for new family units. These figures do not include several subdivision plans and residential projects that are on the horizon.

The City of Cornwall welcomes input from citizens on taxes and the budget. Interested residents can contact the Finance Department (613-930-2787 ext. 2313) and request a detailed breakdown of the taxes paid on their property over the past several years.

In addition, residents can find additional information on taxes and the budget by visiting the 2014 Budget page at www.Cornwall.ca. The page can be accessed by clicking on the City Government tab near the top of the page.

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