While most municipalities count themselves lucky to limit tax increases to the rate of inflation, one township in Oxford County is heading in the opposite direction.
When Blandford-Blenheim residents get their annual tax bill, they’ll likely find that the township portion of their taxes is actually 2.26 per cent lower than it was in 2014.
“We’ve had an increase in assessment, and that’s allowed us to … pass on that savings to our residents,” Mayor Marion Wearn tells CTV News.
New residential development in Plattsville has resulted in more people paying taxes to the township.
Wearn and her fellow councillors decided that rather than finding new projects to spend that money on, they would put it toward a tax rate decrease.
“It would be nice for it to happen every year, if we had constant assessment growth – but … there will be years when our assessment doesn’t grow by the levels that it did last year,” says township CAO Rodger Mordue.
At a diner in Drumbo, residents expressed happiness about the decrease – which translates to about $20 for the average home – and wishes more would follow.
“If the county would roll theirs back too, or keep them the same, then we would see a difference,” said Jeanie Green.
“Everything’s going up all the time. I was a little surprised,” added Jake Morrison.
Township officials also credit an ongoing search for efficiencies with helping them lower the tax rate, as well as lower costs for policing.
