CANSO — Residents of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) will get a chance to ask questions and learn more about the ongoing review of the Canso tax rate structure at two open houses in Canso and Guysborough on Wednesday (Feb. 4).
Representatives of KPMG – a professional services firm specializing in accounting and management consulting – will be on hand at the Canso Fire Hall from 1–3 p.m. and at the Chedabucto Lifestyle Complex from 5–6 p.m. to gather feedback.
In an email to The Journal on Monday, Christina Bowie, MODG’s director of communications and special initiatives, said the open houses are open to all residents and that the municipality “encourages community members to attend, ask questions and share their perspectives as part of this review process.”
In October, MODG council approved a motion to hire KPMG through public tender to help settle a long-simmering and sometimes bitter disagreement between some residents of the former Town of Canso – represented by the Eastern Guysborough Ratepayers Association – and the municipality
According to the request for proposals issued last fall, the consultant is to carry out an in-depth review of tax rates, property assessments and overall tax burden for Canso, including an examination of relevant legislation, historical reports, municipal budgets, provincial utility and review board decisions, municipal bylaws and policies, presentations and correspondence.
The work also includes comparing services and service levels between Canso and other specified communities in the municipality, reviewing assessed property values – including market and capped values – and examining the structure of municipal tax bills, including itemization and utility billing such as sewer charges.
The consultant is also required to conduct open houses in Canso and Guysborough, meet separately with the ratepayers association, prepare charts and visual materials for public sessions and the final report, review the policing structure and related costs, and present clear accessible findings and recommendations to council.
At issue is whether an additional area rate applied to properties in the former Town of Canso – on top of the Municipality of the District of Guysborough’s general municipal tax rates – is fair when compared with taxes paid in other similarly serviced communities in the municipality, a dispute that dates back to the 2012 amalgamation of Canso with MODG.
Residential and resource properties in the former Town of Canso are charged an additional area rate of $1.5145 per $100 of assessment, while commercial properties are charged $1.3470 per $100, on top of the municipality’s general tax rates of $0.77 per $100 for residential and resource properties and $2.74 per $100 for commercial properties.
Despite the issue’s contentiousness, Canso and Area Development Association President Harold Roberts said he’s “optimistic” for “good dialogue” through the independent review.
“It would be beneficial for all concerned to have an informed report with findings and recommendations,” he told The Journal last week.
Meanwhile, the ratepayers association’s president, Bill Bond – who has previously described Canso’s area rate as “a slap in the face,” but the decision to hire an independent consultant as “a very good start” – said he hopes the consultants “can honestly sit down and see the … painting on the wall type thing.”
He added: “When it comes right down to it, it’s very simple math.”
