The Village of Pemberton (VOP) passed all of its financial bylaws at its regular council meeting held virtually via Zoom on May 5.
Residents will find their tax rates down slightly from 2019's rate as council passed a budget with zero tax-revenue increase. It was a pivot from the initially proposed five-per-cent increase that had been pitched before the community and its residents started to acutely feel the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The combined rate for municipal taxes, Squamish Lillooet Regional District taxes and Sea to Sky Hospital District taxes for residential, recreational, non-profit and farm properties will be $2.6043 per $1,000 of taxable value, down from $2.6384 in 2019. Other property land classes—utility, light industry and business—will also see similar decreases.
Though officially clocking in at zero, the VOP calculated a roughly $60,000 increase in tax revenue compared to last year, but CAO Nikki Gilmore pointed to a note in manager of finance and administration Lena Martin's report to explain that market change in construction assessments accounts for the extra money.
"The change in overall assessment value from 2019 to 2020 is 8.33 per cent; which is made up of new construction assessments of 5.34 per cent and 2.99 per cent in market change," the report noted.
As well, council passed a resolution to increase sewer user fees, with a single-family dwelling paying $543.10, which is up from $517.24 last year. The increase is to allow for another $40,000 to be placed in the Sewer Capital Reserve, which council started in 2018.
After a decrease to $5.875 per metre in 2019, the sewer frontage tax rate rose back to its 2018 rate of $6.67 per metre. The frontage rate changes based on the "retiring or securing of debt," according to the Martin's report.
Meanwhile, water rates remained consistent with 2019, as a single-family dwelling will pay $583.45.
Council added a new class for water rates for apartments and duplexes of less than 1,000 square feet, billing them at a rate of $389.45 per unit. In past years, all apartments and duplexes were billed at the same rate as single-family dwellings.
"There are not typically a lot of people in these smaller facilities, so it just allows for a lesser rate for water," Gilmore said.
As well, council approved rates for unmetered weekly hydrant connections and a connection fee for bulk water metered purchases.
"We will have people wanting to connect into hydrants in larger developments ... before their water is all up and running," Gilmore said.
Looking at the commercial rates, Coun. Amica Antonelli wondered if services such as beauty parlours and barber shops, taxed at rates of $662.93 and $654.87 per chair for sewer and water, respectively, could be reconsidered considering they have been shut because of COVID-19.
Gilmore responded by saying the VOP has plans to reconsider its sewer rates in the future, and anyone struggling in the moment should contact the VOP.
"The sewer rates have been on our books for a rate review for a number of years," she said. "Normally, if we hear feedback from them, we've been willing to work with individuals such as chiropractors and massage therapists in the past."
Like the sewer frontage rate, the water frontage rate is also returning to its 2018 level of $4.36 per metre after slipping to $3.88 per metre in 2019.
The bylaws were also amended slightly so the documents include the prior year's rates so readers can make easy comparisons.
Lastly, council passed the Five Year Financial Plan. At the direction of council from the April 28 special meeting, the plan sported a preamble stressing that the document was developed in the time of COVID-19.
Reads the preamble: "The development of the 2020 – 2024 Five Year Financial Plan was completed during the onset of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The Village of Pemberton and its government partners monitor and continue to assess the impact of COVID-19 on our community and local government operations and finances. This Plan was amended to include cost measures that could assist the financial pressures the community faces, to support the economic recovery, as well as to focus on core service delivery. The Village will continue to work with our Federal and Provincial partners to support a coordinated response to COVID-19."
