Council passes interim tax bill

Ken Johnston
Editor

Get ready for a tax bill.
The Rainy River Town Council held their regularly monthly meeting last Friday morning after it was postponed last Monday evening due to a power outage. At the meeting council passed an interim tax levy to get some money flowing into town coffers. The interim levy is a bill for 50% of the taxes a person was billed last year and will go out later this month.
In the mean time council passed a borrowing bylaw to allow the town to continue functioning while its income is low. The bylaw will see the town borrow operating dollars from CIBC up to $300,000 if needed.
Council also unanimously passed a motion to write off $52,924 in debt incurred by the Rainy River Recreation Board. They also opted in the same motion to place $28,687 in reserves to allow for doubtful tax accounts. These are taxes that council feels it will not be able to collect.
New Bus Stop
Council received a letter from Mark Nault requesting that permission be granted for a bus stop to be created on Main Street in Rainy River for Grey Goose Bus Lines. The bus company is presently with out an operating base in Rainy River and Nault informed council that the Rainy River Convenience Store has agreed to take on the service. Council instructed Town Clerk Deb Bowman to begin the process of creating a no parking zone at set times for the bus which travels through Rainy River to and from Winnipeg and Thunder Bay every day.
Councillor Glen Armstrong noted that he is not in opposition to the plan but noted that there is an enforcement issue. “We can create all the bylaws we want, but if no one enforces them what do they mean?” Councillor Lance Lindal echoed Armstrong’s sentiments.
Mayor Gord Prost said that he hopes that the public will respect the bylaw out of courtesy. If not that there will likely be buses double parked on Main St.
Better Hydro Service
Councillor Larry Armstrong introduced a motion to start a dialogue with neighbouring communities in an effort to try and convince Hydro One to place a repair crew permanently out in the rural area. Citing the length of time it takes for power to be restored in outages like last Monday’s, Armstrong felt that service is lacking in the west end of the district. Council unanimously endorsed the motion.
Other Business
•Councillor Lance Lindal brought a sample of a new flood bag. It is plastic and is reusable. It is filled with water and a polymer agent that causes the water to gel. It takes 1/3 fewer of them to make a dike. Lindal said it would cost about $28,000 to build a dike 500 feet by 4 feet with them versus $39,000 with sand-bags. The mayor instructed Lindal to do some more research on them and get some testimonials from other communities that have used them.
•A motion was passed to pay $294.40 to Randi Carpenter for damages to her car that struck a barrier that was not moved before dark at the Rec. Center during Railroad Daze last year.
•A new soda ash machine has been ordered for the Rainy River Water Treatment Plant at an approximately cost of $12,000.
•Council will prime and surface 1.3 km of town streets this summer at a cost of about $32,000.
•Councillor Glen Armstrong reported that a steering committee has been struck for the Rainy River Centennial Committee.
•Councillor Brent Anderson reported that the Library Board should have its budget approved this week and he will present it to council next meeting.
•Councillor Anderson presented the Rainy River Recreation Board’s operating budget to council. If approved by council the facility will have about $195,000 in and out in 2002.
•Coucillor Larry Armstrong noted that council will be facing an increase in Rainycrest per capita fees this year. This is being done in an effort to avert having to hit taxpayers with huge increases all at once, which is what Armstrong said happened in Kenora.