Queens to reimburse Brooklyn Recreation Committee for financial review

Melissa Thiele-Smale, treasurer of the Brooklyn Recreation Committee, spoke to Queens regional council in January. (Region of Queens YouTube channel)

The Brooklyn Recreation Committee will be reimbursed $1,150 by the Region of Queens for the cost of a financial review.

In 2023, the committee was granted a community area rate of four cents per $100 of assessment to fund its operations. The rate provides $32,000 in revenue. 

Certain community groups can apply to the region to levy an area rate on their behalf. The group sets a proposed rate, which is calculated at cents per $100 of assessment or a lump sum.

An area rate request is subject to public consultation and a non-binding vote by those in the communities served by the group.

Queens is one of the only municipalities in Nova Scotia to offer an area rate to community groups to cover expenses. Other municipalities levy rates for assets owned by the municipality.

“There are many who apply different rates to different areas for different purposes. These rates are used to cover costs that are more specific to an area such as: fire protection based on fire service area, sidewalks, local recreation facilities, etc.,” Joanne Veinotte, director of corporate services, said in her Jan. 9 report to council.

“Staff could identify very few municipal units that use this method to support community groups that operate independently from the municipal units.”

The region changed its community area rate policy on Jan. 23, and the financial reporting requirements for community groups. 

Under the old policy, groups had to submit a financial review by a qualified chartered public accountant. 

In the new policy, only those generating revenue over $50,000 have to submit a financial review. Those groups generating revenue from the area rate over $100,000 must submit audited financial statements.

The Brooklyn Recreation Committee had a financial review done by Belliveau Veinotte, which cost $1,150. District 4 Coun. Vicki Amirault asked council at their Jan. 9 meeting to consider reimbursing that cost.

Councillors voted on the motion at this week’s meeting. It passed by a vote of 5 to 3. 

Some councillors were concerned that the group knew it would have to pay for the financial review before the policy changed, and that taxpayers shouldn’t be on the hook.

Email: rickconradqccr@gmail.com

Area rate meeting set for Brooklyn to allow 5.5 cents charge on top of property tax

Canadian cash lying on a table

Photo Ed Halverson

Residents in the Brooklyn area will have their say on how much more they will pay in area rate on top of their annual property taxes.

The Region of Queens describes area rates as special tax rates over and above the normal tax rates which are applied specifically to one or more assessment districts only. Property owners in other districts do not have to pay this charge.

Brooklyn Recreation Committee has requested that Municipal Council levy a 4 cent per $100 of assessment area rate in the Brooklyn area across Assessment Districts 5 and 6 for the upcoming fiscal year. That would provide the recreation committee with the $32,000 they’re looking to raise to cover some of their costs.

Brooklyn Cemetery Committee is asking the Region to levy a 1.5 cent per $100 of assessment area rate in the same area for repairs and maintenance of the grounds of the First Brooklyn Cemetery, Seaside Cemetery and Brooklyn Community Cemetery.

Residents will cast ballots on the area rates in a non-binding vote which will be considered by Region of Queens council when they are preparing the 2023/2024 budget.

A Public Area Rate Meeting will be held on Monday, March 27, 2023, at Liverpool Fire Hall from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm.

Residents can vast their vote on the proposed area rates Thursday, March 30, 2023, at Brooklyn Community Hall from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Region of Queens Council is reviewing the budget in March and will set tax rates, including area rates for the upcoming year in April.

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Queens Council roundup February 28

Entrance to Region of Queens council chambers

Entrance to Region of Queens council chambers. Photo Ed Halverson

Region of Queens Council will once again vote whether to build the new public library at Queens Place.

After receiving more information on the costs to run a road and services to the new location Councillor Maddie Charlton presented a notice of motion for council to vote on the suitability of Queens Place for the new facility at the next council meeting. There will be more to come on this story later in the week.

While the new library provided the most heated discussion there was still plenty to discuss at the Feb 28 meeting.

Staff continued reviewing and updating existing bylaws and presented council with a modernized Emergency Management Bylaw.

Council then filled vacancies on the Heritage and Planning Advisory Committees.

Next staff recommended council approve a development agreement for the construction of a three unit fixed-roof overnight accommodation on Beach Meadows Road.

A public hearing will be held March 28 in council chambers for residents to provide input on the proposal.

The next item was a proposal shift the various insurance policies held by the Region to a single provider.

The move could save the municipality $65,000 each year.

Eight items in the discussion portion of the session began with a request to name a private road, “Serenity Now Lane”.

From there council talked about the Region’s area rate policy and requests for area rates from Brooklyn Cemetery Association and Brooklyn Recreation Association.

An area rate is a tax collected for a specific community purpose which is collected by the municipality through the property tax bill and paid to the administrating group.

The two Brooklyn Associations were concerned they couldn’t meet the level of accounting standards deemed necessary by the municipality.

Mayor Darlene Norman says if the Region is going to collect money on behalf of an organization, there needs to be the upmost transparency.

“It’s very important that when groups come to us requesting us to collect taxpayer’s money on their behalf that there be a third party independent look at their books.”

Norman says the groups will meet with the Director of Corporate Services and their councillor before presenting their yearly budgets and the reasons the area rate is required in a public meeting.

Council followed that with the library discussion which resulted in the motion to rescind the approval of Queens Place as the new library site.

A question about installing new sidewalks in Cobbs Ridge was shut down when Public Works staff said if the sidewalk was to be built, the underlying infrastructure should be updated first, which would increase the cost of construction exponentially.

Council then punted a discussion of whether council meetings should be live streamed to the communications committee.

The committee is looking into ways to improve sound and video for people wanting to follow council proceedings from home.

The last discussion point was to have an engineering firm perform a comprehensive study of the heating and ventilation system at the Astor Theatre.

Staff are recommending the study be included in the 2023/24 budget and work should begin as soon as possible.

Finally, the municipality announced it has entered into a lease agreement at the regional airport with the South Shore Drag Racers Association.

Discussions are continuing with the South Shore Flying Club.

Region of Queens Council will meet next in council chambers beginning at 9:00am on March 14.

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Queens discussing new fee for area rate

Road sign showing two people in a canoe with the words Queens Coast

Photo Ed Halverson

Special interest groups looking to increase the tax burden on their neighbours may have to pony up first in the Region of Queens.

Council discussed a new policy at their last meeting to levy a $250 fee for special interest groups looking for an area rate.

Mayor Darlene Norman says the fee will only be charged if council decides to take the area rate request to a public meeting.

Norman says anytime a public meeting is called it involves staff time, paperwork, and advertising and, just like any business, those costs need to be recovered.

“We need to be that, because the more we give away, then the more the taxpayer pays for things that may not be pertinent to them,” said Norman.

An area rate is a tax paid by property owners within a set district of the municipality.

Community groups can ask the region for an additional percentage to be added to a property tax bill to be turned over to that group and used within the community.

Council also talked about a change to the policy to allow homeowners who do not make Queens their permanent residence, 365 days a year, to also vote on proposed area rates.

There was some discussion about how absentee owners would cast a vote but in the end Norman says the answer came down to doing what was practical.

“You would have to physically, be present, in order to vote at such area rate meetings,” said Norman.

Council will vote on the motion at an upcoming meeting.

*A previous version of this article indicated council has already passed the motion. In fact it was discussed and will be voted on at an upcoming meeting.

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Residents vote down proposed area rate

Seaside Centre

Seaside Centre. Photo Damien van den Berg

Residents have voted down a request for an area rate to support the Seaside Recreation Centre.

The centre’s board is asking Region of Queens council to impose a tax of four cents per hundred dollars of assessment on property owners in Assessment District 7, which includes Beach Meadows, Eagle Head, East Berlin, West Berlin, and Port Medway.

Of the 223 people who turned out at the Seaside Centre Wednesday night, 192 were against the area rate while only 30 cast ballots in support.

Spokesperson for the Seaside Recreation and Community Centre Association Damien van den Berg was surprised by the lopsided result.

“I was probably thinking it would have been more evenly split,” said van den Berg.

The vote itself is non-binding on regional council but the results will be taken into account when they consider the rest of the area rate application at an upcoming meeting.

Based on this result, van den Berg suspects the group may have some work to do.

“I don’t think we’re going to get exactly what we applied for. If we get something, great, if we get nothing, that’s okay too,” said van den Berg. “But if you don’t ask the question, you don’t get an answer.”

Council can decide to award the proposed rate, decrease the amount or not agree to the request at all.

While funding is still an issue for the Seaside Centre, van den Berg says a silver lining could still come out of this.

“I think there’s individuals that may not have been aware of the situation that are stepping up and potentially going to volunteer or potentially donate or look at other ways of helping support so we’ll see how that all works out.”

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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Seaside Centre seeking stability through tax rate

Seaside Centre

Seaside Centre. Photo Damien van den Berg

A local community centre is looking to collect funding from area residents property tax bills.

The Seaside Recreation and Community Centre is asking Region of Queens council to approve an area rate of four cents on every hundred dollars of assessed property value for residents of Beach Meadows, Eagle Head, West Berlin, East Berlin and Port Medway.

On a $150,000 home, the area rate would amount to an extra $60 on the homeowners property tax bill.

The treasurer of the volunteer board operating the Seaside Community Centre Damien van den Berg understands no one wants to see their taxes go up, but hopes when people understand the situation they will get on board.

“Even just putting paint on the wall is difficult unless you’ve got money to do that,” said van den Berg. “Primarily the challenge has been operating a building versus operating a community centre.”

van den Berg says the board would like to focus on repairing the basketball courts, fixing up trails and painting lines for pickleball to attract more users but can’t because they’re working on keeping the lights on every month.

Figures submitted by the board to the Region of Queens show an operating deficit of over $6,000 for 2020.

During the year, Seaside Centre received almost $2,000 in donations and raised $358 from an online raffle.

The group has applied to the federal and provincial government for grants to make the basement level fully accessible. The federal funding will build a ramp and renovate the existing washrooms. While the money from the province will go to install 7 heat pumps to lower the heating costs and provide better control over the temperature and humidity.

But neither of those grants will assist in the day-to-day operations of the recreation centre.

van den Berg is concerned the centre cannot continue to rely on donations to fund their activities and needs to find a steady stream of income to go forward. The area rate is expected to provide $35,000 each year

“The cost associated to that increase is quite low year over year, like $50-$60 a year isn’t a significant amount of money from an assessment perspective in order to have a facility that supports the community,” said van den Berg.

He believes the community is looking for the Seaside Centre to be more than it is. And if the area rate is approved, they will have the stability to return their focus from maintaining a building to upgrading the facility and improving their offerings.

“I like to say I’d rather buy a bunch of hockey sticks and hockey nets for the kids that are in the community than being able to turn the lights on,” said van den Berg.

Area residents will have a say in whether or not they’re willing to foot the bill.

A vote will be held on the proposed area rate at the Seaside Centre on March 3.

To cast a ballot, a person must be 18 years of age, a Canadian citizen and permanently reside in Beach Meadows, Eagle Head, East Berlin, West Berlin, or Port Medway on March 3, 2021.

The vote itself will not determine whether or not the area rate will go ahead. The results will be presented to Region of Queens council and used as part of their process as they decide whether or not to introduce the area rate during their annual budget deliberations over the next month.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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