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economist sunsuntribune municipal election 2003 saturday nov 8 2003 what does your town cost you by jeff mitchell staff writer is your municipality giving you your moneys worth that question will be on the minds of taxpayers as we pre pare to troop to the ballot box and cast our votes for the mayors and councillors who will manage our towns for the next three years theres probably no other level of government at which your ballot has so direct an influence on our dayto day lives municipal government makes sure trash is picked up streets are cleared and recreation facilities are kept up among other services theyre also the folks who deter mine and collect our property taxes and as such are under close and direct scrutiny by constituents and even in that capacity the role of the municipality is largely that of bill col lector the lowest portion of your tax bill is dedicated to municipal purposes the majority goes to york region and for education levies municipal reps pride themselves on holding the line on taxes ask john leach city clerk in vaughan the city of vaughan has the lowest tax rate in the region he proclaimed vaughan one of the fastest grow ing municipalities in the country enjoys a healthy mix of commercial and industrial assessment along with residential growth that allows east gwillimbury assessed value of average home 250000 residential property taxes paid in 2003 3102 extra trash fee no public swimming east gwillimbury has no public pool free skating costs 2 or lfor youths building permits a permit for an unen closed deck or porch will run you 31 cents per square foot an addition on your home is 64 cents per square foot for more info check out wwwtowneastg- willimburyonca king assessed value of average home 382000 residential property taxes paid in 2003 454693 extra trash fee yes king township charges 1 per bag after three bags a maximum of six bags allowed public swimming 3 for adults 2 for children at the outdoor pool in nobleton building permits 50 cents per square foot for more info on fees you can check but the townships website wwwtown shipkingonca check under the townhall heading and navigate your way to bylaws the city to lessen the burden on homeowners regrettably such is not the case in the regions small rural munici palities where homeowners carry 80 per cent and more of the tax burden management styles differ from town to town take for instance user fees for trash disposal in georgina residents are allowed one bag of garbage a week they pay 1 for each bag thereafter for years folks in georgina paid a buck a bag for all their trash in markham youre allowed three bags a week and residents are required to place townsupplied tags on each bag of trash above that theres no charge for the tags it is hoped the act of placing tags annual taxes on average home 4000 3000 2000 1000 aur eg geo king mkm not rh vau ws based on total property taxes on average priced home in 2003 richmond hill assessed value of average home 336000 residential property taxes paid in 2003 3722 extra trash fee no but the municipality plans to introduce a user pay system in 2004 a 2 tag will be required on all bags over a fivebag limit public swimming children aged three to 15 swim for 2 at regular pools 350 at the towns wave pool adults pay 3 at reg ular pools and 6 at the wave pool there are alsofamily rates building permits the town charges a 50 flat fee for a deck permit costs for addi tions to buildings vary depending on type and size markham assessed value of average home 312000 residential property taxes paid in 2003 3547 v extra trash fee no but homeowners are limited to three bags per pickup they are asked to place townissued tags for which they are not charged on any bags beyond the limit public swimming prices range from 2 per visit for kids under 16 to 3 per adult and 6 per family building permits the town charges a flat fee of 60 foradeck or porch want to make an alteration to a homeits 7 per square metre markhams website is wwwcitymarkhamonca vaughan assessed value of average home 270000 residential property taxes paid in 2003 3051 extra trash fee no public swimming the city has a number of public pools a dip at the al palladini pool costs 3 for children and 4 for adults building permits putting on an unen closed deck requires a 50 permit additions to residential dwellings go for 975 per square metre the citys website is wwwcityvaughanonca newmarket assessed value of average home 220000 residential taxes paid in 2003 2715 extra trash fee yes residents pay 2 per bag for every bag over the limit of three per week public swimming 350 per adult 2 per child or you can enjoy the family rate 10 on those extra bags will give resi dents pause for thought and its working according to claudia marsales head of waste management in markham compliance with the threebag limit is extremely high about 85 per cent she said all of this is to say while some factors are constant mere are local circumstances and philosophies that determine how your taxes are set and spent in each municipality weve taken a look at a few indi cators to give you an idea of taxes and fees in each of yorks nine municipalities to delve further into the issue taxpayers can find information on municipal websites cost for public swimming 4 3 2 1 h fl ill fin on il 8 b 1 1 iip m m 11 hi w sb h 9 ft fl h 1 j m ih 9 eh i ft ts2 h s r hi km aur eg geo king mkm nkt rh vau ws based oh the childrens rate for swimming at a local pool per visit or 56 for a monthly pass building permits the town charges a flat fee of 86 for a new deck while a permit for additions to your dwelling will require a 50 administration fee as well as a cost of 13 per 1000 of estimated construction cost plumbing fixtures are extra the towns website address is wwwtownnewmaritetonca aurora assessed value of average home 250000 residential property taxes paid in 2003 3059 extra trash fee no public swimming 250 per visit or 20 for 10 visits building permits a permit for a deck will set you back 75 the cost for additions is 10 per square metre the municipality provides information on services and fees on its website wwwtownauroraonca georgina assessed value of average home 161000 residential property taxes paid in 2003 232286 extra trash pickup fee yes georgina allows residents one bag per week and charges 1 on all other bags the town recently revised its allencompassing buck- abag system which had been in place for several years public swimming charges at georgina leisure pool in sutton range from 2 for kids to 750 per family yearly passes range from 130 to 325 building permits an addition to a dwelling will cost 60 cents per square foot want to build a deckthafs 20 cents per square foot for more about the towns programs departments and fees check out wwwtowngeorginaonca whitchurch- stouffville assessed value of average home 300000 residential property taxes paid in 2003 3422 extra trash fee yes ifs 2 per bag after the threebag limit public swfmming 2 per visit for youths and seniors 3 for adults building permits information was not pro vided the towns website is wwwtownwhitchurch- stouffvilleonca iv elacjiiv elaguppillai j wmmjpilkp3iibfcbfciyi elagu elaguppillai whose experience education would l ahassettoc6uncil the toronto star editorials and opinions the stars picks for 905 region wednesday nov 5 2003 1 maik infoelaguca website wwwlaguca