The provincial government has announced the amount it will kick back to local municipalities this year, for properties it owns in each community.
The money is considered a grant-in-lieu of taxes, and in Chilliwack and the easter Fraser Valley, it totals more than $60,000. Chilliwack will receive $45,245.54, Kent will receive $2,454.24 and Hope will receive $13,169.69. In total, the province will shell out $16.9 million to 64 communities.
The number has risen slowly over time, according to District of Kent staff. In 2007, the amount given was $1,522.20. In both the Districts of Kent and Hope, the amount is for BC Ambulance buildings, which are owned by the government.
The grants are distributed as a way to reimburse municipalities for services benefitting government properties, such as sewers, roads and fire protection, and the amounts paid are based on the assessed value of the properties and the municipality’s tax rate.
“Providing these grants to municipalities in lieu of taxes on government properties is a way of providing additional funds for important services. I’m pleased to see the communities of Chilliwack, Hope and Kent receiving a share of these grants," said Chilliwack-Hope MLA Barry Penner.
Out of the money given to the municipalities, a portion is forwarded to the FVRD.
In Kent that amount is $55.77, and in Hope, the amount destined for the FVRD is $2,744.46.
news@ahobserver.com