The City of Pitt Meadows financial position remains healthy thanks in part to the majority of property owners submitting tax payments on time.
As of the extended Oct. 1 penalty deadline, the property tax collection rate was at 94.12 percent, which virtually is on par with the 94.68 percent collected this time last year, said a city press release.
High Property Tax Collection Rate Ensures Strong Financial Position for City. Read the full media release here: https://t.co/81xLjwrWfq pic.twitter.com/S3stQrnoHN
— citypittmeadows (@citypittmeadows) October 2, 2020
“This pandemic has been a huge challenge, resulting in difficult and varied impacts for many in our community,” said Mayor Bill Dingwall. “I am thankful to our residents and business owners for helping to keep our city’s financial position strong.
“This means that the city will be able to continue to fund important services to our community. In addition to extending the tax payment deadline, the city provided the COVID-19 Financial Relief Grant Program, funded by cancelled capital projects, to help offset some of the costs of property taxes for residential property owners.”
The property tax penalty deadline was extended to Oct. 1, and the COVID-19 Financial Relief Grant provided a one-time grant of $150 for a single-family home and $100 for a multi-family home to minimize the financial hardship during the pandemic.
In March, the city reduced spending by:
• Re-deploying parks and recreation staff to the Bylaw Task Force.
• Realizing savings due to travel and conference restrictions.
• Releasing 47 part-time, auxiliary and temporary staff, which was the equivalent of 15 full-time staff.
• Cancelling all staff training and professional development.
• Implementing a hiring freeze with a few required exceptions.
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“We have remained committed to maintaining essential services, managing the municipal finances prudently and helping community members during this trying time,” said CAO Mark Roberts. “Our high property tax collection rate will enable the city to continue to provide excellent services to the community and move forward with many important capital projects.”
ncorbett@mapleridgenews.com
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