A QUICKIE

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "CORRECTION. !":

It will have to go for development eventually and the town is paying to keep a share of any proceeds. I think that one might make sense. If it was an error on the part of the developer, Aurora might as well take advantage.
The two other property development projects are going to be fascinating to watch. One group is doing everything possible to mitigate a huge change, the other is just making everyone angry by making crazy demands. 

Posted by Anonymous to  Our Town and Its Business at 20 March 2015 at 11:28

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I have to go out. There's no milk in the  house.  I just need to respond to this comment before I leave. 

There is no economic advantage to the town to take this or any other property out of development. 

The Town operates on business principles  If taxation is  to be kept manageable efficient economic business practice must 

prevail. 

A  six acre development site has potential for assessment revenue depending on density. Roads,parks ,lighting underground services , lighting, police and fire protection , everything is in place. It is
infilling . Not urban sprawl. And currently contributing nothing. 

Six acres might accommodate 15 detached homes, thirty semi-detached ,sixty town homes or 160 multiple units. I am not trying to be precise.

Each unit  liable for a development charge .  Anything upwards of half a million dollars in total.  Every penny   needed to contribute to facilities required attributable to population growth. 

Snow ploughing service as an example  would have no impact aI all  on taxes. 

Every time the town takes a property into the public domain it 

comes  out of the assessment base and reduces revenues. 

The Armouries for example. In 2013 the town received $800,000 in lieu of taxes from the federal government. 

I don't know of any other federal property in  town. It's not to say there isn't any. But just supposing there isn't. 

The town  bought the Armouries from the Feds. Paid $514.000 for the dump and promptly lost  the $800,000 grant is lieu of taxes. 

Look at the Hydro Property. We lease it to the Feds but still own it. We don't pay taxes to ourselves. We have federal use of a municipal building and earn not a snitch.

They pay $131,000 rent. 

If we had sold it when Hydro vacated, taxes from assessment at 2006 rates would have been $60,000 a year. Cuts rental revenue almost in half .

Loss of the grant in lieu should kick in this year. 

The  hydro property accommodated twenty -seven employees. Job losses are not an economic advantage. 

No economic  benefit study was done when the parks department was evicted from the premises and Queen's York Rangers moved  in.  None was  done in the last term either when the lease was extended to thirty years. 

And by the way, we are on the hook as landlords for maintenance of that building as well. 

Now...what was that again about advantage... The solitary advantage is political and taxpayers of Aurora got a royal screwing in the process. 

I learned very early in my political career watching a veteran councillor converse with a taxpayer. 

It wasn't about what the Councillor knew of town business.  It was what he knew the other fellow didn't that gave him the edge. 

When voters have to choose between politicians which  to believe and there is no administrative anchor  in the background to affirm facts, the problem is manifest.

There can be no trust.