Rural rate payers around Grandview have concerns about their taxes going to pay for urban issues.
Vern Nelson, former 2-term rural councillor before amalgamation, says the issue of the Water and Sewer Renewal Project should only cost those who it directly benefits:
“I think it basically has to be the users that have to assume the responsibility for what happens within their own area.”
Lyle Morran, the Mayor of Grandview, says residents in the municipality feel strongly about the issue of what the town does with their sewer and water revitalization efforts:
“Well the rural area, because of the land assessment being so high, they do pay a higher percentage of taxes, but then they have more value to their land. But they don’t want to be paying for the town problems, so we had made that decision to put that only on the town tax payers if we go ahead with it.”
During the Grandview Municipality’s council meeting, on December 19th, the council voted to rescind a previous decision to go forward with funding the Clean Water and Wastewater Fund.
Reducing the number of councillors on the Municipality of Grandview’s council also was a concern at the meeting. The community has questioned if 4 is enough.
Morran shares the council’s initial view on this matter:
“We felt it would be more efficient. We know that the 8 plus 1 was too much. It seemed like a little bit of the people here, which is predominantly rural, felt there was quite a few town people, but figure we could go to 6 but not 4. They feel that it’s going to become a full-time job and it might eliminate people from running.”
Council is now going to discuss what they heard, at their next council meeting on Tuesday.
