Council raises residential taxes 7.2%

By Ken Johnston
Editor

Rainy River town council voted in a tax increase for some and a tax break for others at the regular monthly meeting of council Monday evening.
In an effort to offer some relief to businesses in Rainy River council endorsed a 4.08% reduction for Industrial Occupied properties and a 2.01% break for Commercial Occupied properties.
On the other hand residential property owners will see their rates go up 7.22%. Multi-residential properties took the largest jump by 7.5%.
Other rate decreases include 2.01% down for both Com. Exc. Land and Com. Vac. land. Ind. vac. land also went down 4.08%.
Pipeline property went up 4.98% and Farmland went up 7.22%.
Council also endorsed a new user fee bylaw at Monday’s meeting. In it ratepayers will also see a $1 per month increase in their bills.
Tenders Let
Council approved the letting of several tenders on Monday. They include:
•Selling the 1978 Bison Tandem Plow Truck
•Removal of approx. 300 cord of timber from the new lagoon site area
•Hiring an engineer to study the costs of closing Little St. Railway crossing.
•Purchasing a 1/2 ton truck
Other business
•Council approved July 20-22, 2007 as a community festival. Railroad Daze is being revived on that weekend.
•Council passed a new remuneration schedule for the fire chief. He will now receive $300 per month plus expenses, which are to be paid at a full rate for meetings/training attended solely as a representative of the Town of RR and half rate for those attended as a representative of two townships. The current fire chief is also fire chief for a neighbouring township.
•Council supported the proposal by the Ontario Early Years Centre to move into the Rainy River Recreation Centre.
•Councillor Gord Armstrong gave Councillor Marilyn McAlister the name of a dentist interested in possibly locating in Rainy River once Dr. Zhang leaves at the end of the month.
•Council learned that Thunder Bay Telephone plans to upgrade the RR tower in response to complaints from cellular phone users regarding poor local reception. The upgrade has been done in Fort Frances already and will be done here in July.
•Councillor Gord Armstrong reported that costs to erect a sun shelter over the kids pool deck will be about $2,000 for materials. He has offered to put it up for free.
Acting Mayor Gerry Marchuk reported that the pool will be open on Friday for the public to use.
•Council also passed an agreement with Christine Beyak to run the park/concessions area this summer. The contract began June 7th and will run until Sept. 30th.
•Economic Development Chair Gord Armstrong reported that all the strategic planning committees are up and running except the demographics comm.
He noted that the Beautification Comm. is selling memorial flower baskets and that interest has been good so far. People can buy them through the town office.