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4 Soaring farm values in December, will be used to calculate property taxes in 2013. Daly took great pains to stress MPAC does not set taxes rates, but only determines the current value assessment of a property based on open market sales between a willing seller and willing buyer. Residents and businesses will receive their assessment notices in coming weeks. He said people worried about a tax increases do due diligence about their assessment and "calm down a bit." He said if the change in assessment is equal to or less than the average change for Halton Hills, a tax increase is unlikely. Daly said when the THE NEW TANNER "It just comes down to supply and demand, almost." Increased demand for farm properties helped fuel a 77.4 per cent increase in the average assessed value of Halton Hills farms, according to John Daly, a municipal relations representative for MPAC ­ the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation that values all Ontario properties. At last week's council meeting Daly delivered the latest four- year M PA C a s s e s s m e n t numbers showing Halton Hills house values increased an average of 17.9 per cent since 2008. The assessments, delivered to municipalities on the second Tuesday assessment arrives, homeowners should determine if the assessment equals the likely selling price as of January 1, 2012. He said property owners should determine if their assessment notice is "fair and accurate, but also equitable and comparable to other properties." If it seems high, homeowners can check the assessments of comparable properties, and if there's a discrepancy, the homeowner can ask MPAC for a no-cost review. Homeowners can visit aboutmyproperty.ca to compare assessments of other properties. Daly detailed ways in which MPAC is making it easier for property owners to check their assessment in a "totally transparent" process. Several years ago, sparked by an Ontario Ombudsman's report which soundly criticized MPAC for its "cloak and dagger behaviour" changes were made to make it easier for property owners to question and challenge their assessment, including shifting the onus to prove the assessed value of a property to MPAC from the property owners. Halton's Hills' 17.9 per cent residential increase over four years compares with a 21.1 per cent average Region-wide. The estimated average assessment change in Halton Hills was 18.3 per cent for single-detached properties, 21.4 per cent for semi-detached, 12.8 per cent for condominiums. Last year, 86.4 per cent of the $32.8-million in property taxes collected by the Town came from residential property owners. The Town's efforts to rebalance the residential to non-residential assessment ratio resulted in a slight .03 per cent decrease in the amount of assessment collected in residential property taxes in Halton Hills. A consultant's study found the Town's average residential versus nonresidential ratio is 86.4 per cent versus 13.6 per cent from commercial/industrial taxpayers. The lowest residential ratio is in Niagara Falls at 72.5 per cent, and the highest residential Re-balancing the tax ratios THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 08, 2012 ratio is in Segiun at 97.9 per cent. Town Corporate Services staff continues to try to improve the assessment base by reviewing building permits and submitting updates to MPAC ­ the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation, to ensure they are included on the tax rolls, and also actively participates in Assessment Review Board hearing to protect the Town's interests. Last year, an audit by Municipal Tax Equity Consultants Inc. found "few anomalies" on the assessment roll and staff continues to work with MPAC to fix specific assessment issues. Councillor Moya Johnson said they didn't feel the group complemented the committee's heritage work in Halton Hills, but wished the group well. Tax Talk For the owners of 18 Halton Hills properties, Ben Franklin's adage "The only things certain in life are death and taxes," is only partially true. At the November 12 meeting, Council will ratify a general committee report to write-off $30,378 in taxes, including seven properties demolished after fires. The write-offs, ranging from $28 for a property reassessed as Exempt from Residential, to $4,475 for a property switched to residential from the commercial tax rate, include Town, Region and School Boards taxes. The Town's share of the write-offs is $7,191. In her report to general committee, Wendy O'Donnell, the Town's Manager of Finance said staff follows industry accepted collection practices for overdue accounts, and "spends a considerable amount of time and effort ensuring each write-off is being done for legitimate reasons." The Regional Municipality of Halton Access Halton at: www.halton.ca Dial 311 Town Digest No ghost busters Members of The Searcher Group ­ paranormal investigators ­ did not get the endorsement they wanted from Heritage Halton Hills at a recent committee meeting. The group wanted to use Heritage committee auspices to approach owners of local historic buildings in order to search for spirits. C o m m i t t e e c h a i r, Get Involved, Share Your Ideas Halton Regional Council is currently inviting applications from members of the community to fill vacancies on the following Advisory Committees: · · · · · Ecological and Environmental Advisory Committee Elder Services Advisory Committee Halton Agricultural Advisory Committee Halton Housing Advisory Committee Halton Region Accessibility Advisory Committee These volunteer citizen appointments give Halton residents from a variety of backgrounds the opportunity to contribute their skills and perspective to enhance the quality of life in our community. This appointment term expires on November 30, 2014. Regional Council wishes to ensure that its boards and committees reflect the diverse nature of its community and invites all residents of Halton to consider these opportunities. An Interview Committee of Regional Council will recommend qualified candidates for these positions to Regional Council. Details of these opportunities and application forms are available on our website www.halton.ca/advisorycommittees, by email to regionalclerk@halton.ca, or from the Office of the Regional Clerk, Halton Region, 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, during business hours from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Completed applications must be received at the Office of the Regional Clerk no later than Friday, November 16, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. Completed forms may be submitted online, by mail or by fax to 905-825-8838. Karyn Bennett Regional Clerk 081112 Please contact us, as soon as possible, if you have any accessibility needs at Halton Region events or meetings. POWERED BY MOVADO MODERN DESIGN SWISS ENGINEERING GREAT VALUE Close to Home... Far From Ordinary 310 GUELPH STREET GEORGETOWN Now open Sundays 11am - 5pm (905)873-4405