Deputy Mayor for 2020

Councillor Ross Sutherland took the declaration of office as Deputy Mayor for the coming year, and was welcomed by Mayor Vandewal. 

Johnston Point Delegation

Meela Melnik-Proud spoke on behalf of a delegation of residents concerned about the Johnston Point condominium project. Specifically, she addressed the construction of a walking bridge on lot 6, built to connect the main property to an island in order to provide access to the lake. Apparently the structure in question was partially constructed before the CRCA issued a permit for it, and to date, the only available copy of the accompanying benefit permit has been blacked out (redacted) so thoroughly that what remains are mostly a few pronouns and the words “Grey rat snake” and “Blandings turtle”. A benefit permit is the document that details particular actions the applicant must undertake within a specified time, in order to provide an overall benefit to the species that is threatened by their proposed activities.

The Endangered Species Act (ESA) states that: “No person shall damage or destroy the habitat of a species that is listed on the Species at Risk in Ontario list as an endangered or threatened species…(However) the Minister may issue a permit to a person under subsection 17(1) of the Act that authorizes the person to engage in an activity that would otherwise be prohibited by the Act.”)

Many questions remain: what are the requirements of this particular benefit permit, and who has the authority (the Ministry? The Conservation Authority? The County? The Township?) to ensure that they are met in a timely manner? Where does the OMB decision fit into this puzzle? How does this affect further development on Johnston Point?

Deputy Mayor Sutherland brought a notice of motion that council direct staff to contact the township solicitor for clarification on the township’s obligation to approve and enforce the site plan control and condominium agreements.

However, CAO Carbone and Director of Development Claire Dodds both advised patience, saying “there are processes underway addressing some of these issues”, and “every day we are getting more information and action on this file.” They are looking at updating the condo agreement, and both recommended it would be premature to seek further legal advice. Carbone said a reasonable timeline would be for Council to revisit the issue “in the first Q” ie, in late February or early March, by which time the issue might be sorted out. Council agreed to defer Sutherland’s motion until they receive their staff’s report.

Frontenac Arch Biosphere Reserve (FABR)

Julie Savant director of the FABR presented a summary of the reserve’s activities, reporting that its UNESCO designation had been renewed for the next 10 years. As of 2017, South Frontenac Township and Frontenac Provincial Park are included within its boundaries. The designation does not come with any federal or provincial funding, although the reserve, through grants and donations, contributes substantially to education, tourism, trails and networking in the area. In order to ensure their financial stability, they are seeking to secure support from the municipalities within their boundaries. Mayor Vandewal advised Savant that although the township was positive to the reserve’s work, and had provided a degree of support in the past, the 2020 budget process was in its final stages.

Council would consider her request, but he could make no promises, and said it would be much better if next year’s request came in October.

2020 Revised Budget

Later in the meeting, when Treasurer Fragnito presented a summary of revisions to the November 7 draft budget, which by taking into account the finalized MPAC assessment and a reduction to the Quinte Conservation levy estimate, has maintained Council’s direction of a 2.0% impact on the average phased-in property.

Through Council discussions, the following have been added: $30,000 for a Lake Study Grant program, $7,040 to reinstate maintenance of non-township facilities as a council grant and the addition of a Winter Festival in the amount of $5,000. Davidson Beach access road was changed from $200,000 to $50,000 and the following projects have been put on hold, pending council approval: branding strategy and implementation, electronic sign, charging station for electric vehicles, ice stock dedicated lanes - pending consideration of  multi-use pad and confirmation of fund-raising contribution. Fragnito confirmed there is a modest discretionary amount council could draw on, if they choose to contribute to the biosphere reserve.

Garbage and Recycle Collection RFP

This RFP will be issued in early 2020, for closure in the fall of 2020. Public works Director Segsworth recommended the following points be included:  the RFP will allow contractors to bid on the entire township and/or separate collection areas; collection areas will be revised to 4 day/week pickup; garbage and recycling on the same day for all residents; the basis of payment shall be an amount of dollars per household; the length of contract shall be 5 years plus 2 optional years, to allow for the rollout of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) within the blue box program on or around 2025; appropriate termination clauses shall be included; the RFP will specify the age of trucks be no more than 10 years; grandfathered lanes will continue service. Mayor Vandewal suggested trucks be assessed by a combination of age and quality/condition. Segsworth said he will be working together with the Public Service Committee to pull together the final RFP document.

In another report, Segsworth recommended and received approval of Waste Management’s bid to continue to receive domestic waste and bulky goods from the township (Storrington has no waste site). Currently, the township exports about one third of its waste annually.

Private Lane Assistance

Council approved $129,264.27 for the private lane upgrading Assistance Program, which has proven increasingly popular every year since its introduction. The 2019 budget for the program was $100,000: the remainder was made up by accessing unused PLA funds from 2018 and leftover money from the 2019 budget for Council grants.

Meeting Cancellation

The Dec 10 Committee of the Whole meeting has been cancelled.

Waterfront property owners in this region have seen their property values decrease ever so slightly since 2012, but there is another category of rural property that has seen an increase - farmland.

According to the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC), the value of farmland in Ontario has increased by 16% since 2012. MPAC provides property assessment to municipalities in Ontario, which are then used to determine how much tax each property owner must pay.

This contrasts sharply with other categories in the region. In Frontenac County, residential properties are up an average of 1% or less and waterfront properties are down by less than 1%.

The new assessments will be implemented over the next four years. They were mailed out on the week that started on October 10, and arrived at most farm properties late last week.

MPP Randy Hillier has received about a half a dozen complaints from farmers in Frontenac and Lanark County since then about the assessments going up by large amounts, 50% or more in a couple of cases, according to his executive assistant, David Shostal.

“MPAC says these increases are the result of market trends, but I’m not aware of any trends that warrant spikes like we’re seeing,” Hillier said in a release that came out over the weekend. “You can appeal your assessment,” he added, “but there is a deadline for filing a Request for Reconsideration (RfR), so if you want to appeal, you need to get your RfR application in to MPAC as soon as you can.”

One of the farm owners who contacted Hillier was Steve Leonard from Hartington.

“The farm part of my property has gone from $171,600 in 2012 to $347,700 in 2016,” he said in a phone interview on Monday night, October 24.

Leonard owns a 94-acre farm, which happens to be located next to the grant subdivision proposal that has been the centre of controversy within the hamlet and is going to a hearing of the Ontario Municipal Board in May.

The land has been in the Leonard family since the 1840s. Leonard, who is a mason by trade, used to run a cow/calf operation on the property, but now uses his land for hay production (30 acres) and for a small hog farming operation. He recently began growing strawberries and raspberries but did not get a crop this year due to lack of rain.

Although his farmland is ranked as Class 1, he does not see how the increased assessment can be justified based on the productive value of his property.

“They said in my assessment notice that the assessment was based on sales of comparable properties, but when I looked it up I didn't find any examples of sales, so I can't see where they got the value they used,” he said.

Farm properties pay a tax rate that is 25% of the residential rate, so the $370,600 farm property will pay the same tax as an $85,150 valued home, which will be in addition to the tax Leonard pays for his house and 1 acre of land that is taxed at the residential rate. All in all he is looking at a major increase this year, since the assessed value of his house went up as well.

“Farming is hard enough without this kind of stuff,” he said.

Leonard said that he intends to appeal his assessment.

There is another option that is available, and that is to lobby the local government.

The Township of South Frontenac and/or Frontenac County, which both collect taxes on farm property, have the discretionary authority to charge less than 25% of the residential rate to farm properties within their jurisdiction.

Steve Leonard said his first idea is to challenge the value that MPAC has placed on his 94-acre farm.

Most of the property owners receiving notices of assessment this week from the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) will be getting good news, at least as far as the impact of their assessment on the property taxes they will be paying over the next four years is concerned.

In South, Central, and North Frontenac, and Tay Valley, the average property will see less than a 1% increase in assessment each year between 2017 and 2020. As well, unlike in previous four-year assessment cycles, waterfront ratepayers are seeing about the same increase as the rest of the homeowners.

In some jurisdictions, waterfront values have even dropped between December of 2011 when the previous assessment was done and the end of 2015 when the new assessment was done.

In Central Frontenac, for example, the overall change that will be applied in 2017 is an increase of less than 1%. Waterfront assessments are flat, whereas the non-waterfront values have risen by 4%, meaning assessments for the average non-waterfront properties will rise by 1% each year for the next four years.

The net effect will be a flattening out or even a slight reversal of the trend of the last decade or more, which saw waterfront ratepayers assuming an ever-increasing share of the tax burden. Waterfront property values in Central Frontenac are, on average, about twice those of non-waterfront properties.

The average value of a waterfront residence in Central Frontenac is now $239,500, and the other residences have an average value of $141,000.

In South Frontenac, where the overall average increase is also less than 1% per year for four years, the assessment is about the same for waterfront and non-waterfront residences. The average value of a waterfront residence in South Frontenac is now $298,000 and the average value of off-water residences is about 10% less, $262,000.

In North Frontenac, where the overall average increase in assessment is also under 1% per year for four years, waterfront assessments seem to be up a little bit whereas non-waterfront residences have been dropping in value.

Decreases in assessment are treated differently by MPAC than increases are treated. While increases are phased in to flatten out their impact in the first year or two, decreases are applied in their entirety to bring all the tax savings to the ratepayer in the first year.

The average waterfront residence in North Frontenac is valued at $261,000 and the non-waterfront average is $118,000.

In Tay Valley, particularly in the Maberly/Brooke Valley region where the Frontenac News is distributed, the increase of 1% per year is shared more or less equally by waterfront and non-waterfront values. The average waterfront home in Tay Valley is assessed at $388,500 and the average non-waterfront home is assessed at $216,000, less than half.

In Lanark Highlands, while the overall average increase is 1.3% per year for four years, in the Elphin/McDonalds Corners region, where the News is distributed, values have dropped by about 5%, which will have a moderated effect on taxation in that region. The average waterfront residence in Lanark Highlands is valued at $325,000 and the average non-waterfront residence is assessed at $187,000.

Finally, in Addington Highlands, assessments are going up on average by 2.2% per year for four years. The increase, which seems to apply equally to water and non-waterfront properties, is driven by increases in values for properties located in the vicinity of Lake Mazinaw and points north. The average waterfront property in Addington Highlands is assessed at $226,000 and non-waterfront properties are worth just over half as much, $121,000, on average.

When townships come to budget time next year, these values will be supplemented by increases in assessment that come from new construction, and the tax rate that is applied at the end of the municipal budget process.

The assessments also demonstrate that the sale prices of properties in the region have been flat, even for waterfront properties, which came as a surprise to at least one realtor.

“Prices have not gone up as quickly as in the past,” said the realtor, on the condition of anonymity, “but they have gone up.”