Property assessments increase by 4 per cent gŏđŏ editionap.ca RICHARD MAHONEY RICHARD.MAHONEY@EAP.ON.CA
In Prescott-Russell, waterfront property has also increased in value, by approximate- ly 13.1 per cent. With the four-year phase- in, property taxpayers will see an average increase of 3 per cent for the 2013 property tax year. Since 2008, waterfront property in Stor- mont, Dundas and Glengarry has increased in value by approximately 17.1 per cent. With the four-year phase-in, property tax- payers will see an average increase of 4.1 per cent for the 2013 property tax year. For a more detailed analysis of the chang- es in values that have taken place across Ontario, refer to MPAC’s special Assessment Update Edition of MarketSnapshot, avail- able at www.mpac.ca. “Our values reflect the local real estate market and confirm that most homeown- ers in the area have seen an increase in the value of their property over the past four years,” said Michel Contant, account man- ager in the MPAC Cornwall office. MPAC’s role is to accurately assess ev- ery property in Ontario. “Property owners should ask themselves if they could have sold their property for its assessed value on January 1, 2012. If the answer is yes, then their assessment is accurate. If not, we are committed to working with them to get it right,” Contant said. Property owners can check the accuracy of their assessment at www.aboutmyprop- erty.ca. This website allows owners to easily compare the value of their property to oth- ers in their neighbourhood and community. Dog pound fees up Any stray dogs taken to the pound will cost a bit more for their release in Alfred- Plantagenet Township. The council has approved an increase in the daily care fee for dogs kept at the municipal pound. The last increase in the care fee at the pound put it at $10 per day, making Alfred-Plan- tagenet Township’s the lowest rate in all of Prescott-Russell and even lower than what the City of Ottawa charges. Rates in Prescott-Russell range from $15 in The Na- tion to $50 a day in Hawkesbury while Ot- tawa charges $35 a day for dog care at its pound. Alfred-Plantagenet council voted to increase the care fee charged against owners of stray dogs to $20 a day. A ruling from the Supreme Court of Canada helps the Upper Canada school district with some of its future budgeting. The court ruled that school districts do not have to pay $5.16 per full-time student in copyright fees for the use of any copyrighted materials as additional teaching aids beyond the standard texts provided as part of a course curriculum. Instead the copyright fee owed to a pub- lisher and/or author of the supplemen- tary material is 35 cents per full-time student. UCDSB administration esti- mates the court ruling means a saving of $144,000 a year for the school district in copyright fees. Trustees approved a new copyright law policy guideline for Upper Canada district schools to follow when using any copyrighted materials outside of standard school texts as teaching sup- plement aids. Copyright law offers savings
since 2008, relates the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation. Since the increase is being phased in over four years, property owners will see an increase of 4.6 per cent next year. In Stormont-Dundas-Glengarry, where values have risen by 18.4 per cent since 2008, assessments will increase by an aver-
age of 4.3 per cent in 2013. An increase in assessment does not necessarily mean an increase in property taxes. If the assessed value of a home has increased by the same percentage as the average in the municipality, there might be no increase in the property taxes paid by property owners.
Most area homeowners will see their property assessments increase by about four per cent in 2013. Residential property values in Prescott- Russell have increased by 19.1 per cent
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