Camp Hurlburt has received a temporary tax reprieve from city council.Council awarded the camp a grant of more than $2,300 to cover their taxes for the year 2007. The camp is run by Trinity United Church. Loretta Bell-Hardy, the chair of the church’s
board of governors, said the grant is a positive first step.“I’m very pleased that they are considering making a positive move of giving Hurlburt a regular tax exemption,” she said. “I’m very optimistic that they will do the right thing.”However, council delayed a decision on whether the camp should be given long-term tax exempt status. Bell-Hardy said that if the camp is still required to pay taxes, the future of the facility is in doubt.“I don’t think we would be able to continue to operate if there was a fear of taxes,” she said.The camp is currently 50 per cent tax exempt and the grant would cover the remaining taxes due for next year. A decision on how much tax, if any, the camp will have to pay in the future was delayed until April 2007.Coun. Barry Beardsell recommended that a proposal to grant tax exemption starting in 2008 be deleted. He said the issue needs to be sent to Greater Vernon Services for comment, which has yet to be done.“I’m really supportive of what the United Church is doing but to suddenly change the entire (tax) structure . . . after the exhaustive review done in 2001 is not appropriate at this time,” he said.Beardsell said he looked at other areas with similar camps and found that among the three nearest regional districts and the City of Kelowna, none offered tax exemptions to camps. He added that there are several other camps around Vernon that do not benefit from a tax break.“This needs to be looked at in conjunction with what happens to other camps,” he said. “There’s no need to panic and deal with it today in my estimation.”But Coun. Juliettte Cunningham said the matter should be judged on a case by case basis and not compared to what other jurisdictions are doing. She said there should be a tax break as long as the camp continues to operate.“I don’t think that because other communities don’t do it that we shouldn’t,” Cunningham said.The camp had tax exempt status until 2001 when they dropped to 67 per cent exempt and then to 50 per cent exempt. Coun. Jack Gilroy suggested that council needs to review why the status was changed in the first place.Coun. Patrick Nicol said that he knows what any review looking into the 2001 decision would find. He said the camp should not have been classified as a commercial property.“I think a mistake was made in 2001 and this is an opportunity to correct it,” he said. “This business only operates two months of the year.Although he is in favour of the grant for the camp, Nicol was the lone councillor who voted against it because he said tax exempt status should be granted right away and not delayed until April.
board of governors, said the grant is a positive first step.“I’m very pleased that they are considering making a positive move of giving Hurlburt a regular tax exemption,” she said. “I’m very optimistic that they will do the right thing.”However, council delayed a decision on whether the camp should be given long-term tax exempt status. Bell-Hardy said that if the camp is still required to pay taxes, the future of the facility is in doubt.“I don’t think we would be able to continue to operate if there was a fear of taxes,” she said.The camp is currently 50 per cent tax exempt and the grant would cover the remaining taxes due for next year. A decision on how much tax, if any, the camp will have to pay in the future was delayed until April 2007.Coun. Barry Beardsell recommended that a proposal to grant tax exemption starting in 2008 be deleted. He said the issue needs to be sent to Greater Vernon Services for comment, which has yet to be done.“I’m really supportive of what the United Church is doing but to suddenly change the entire (tax) structure . . . after the exhaustive review done in 2001 is not appropriate at this time,” he said.Beardsell said he looked at other areas with similar camps and found that among the three nearest regional districts and the City of Kelowna, none offered tax exemptions to camps. He added that there are several other camps around Vernon that do not benefit from a tax break.“This needs to be looked at in conjunction with what happens to other camps,” he said. “There’s no need to panic and deal with it today in my estimation.”But Coun. Juliettte Cunningham said the matter should be judged on a case by case basis and not compared to what other jurisdictions are doing. She said there should be a tax break as long as the camp continues to operate.“I don’t think that because other communities don’t do it that we shouldn’t,” Cunningham said.The camp had tax exempt status until 2001 when they dropped to 67 per cent exempt and then to 50 per cent exempt. Coun. Jack Gilroy suggested that council needs to review why the status was changed in the first place.Coun. Patrick Nicol said that he knows what any review looking into the 2001 decision would find. He said the camp should not have been classified as a commercial property.“I think a mistake was made in 2001 and this is an opportunity to correct it,” he said. “This business only operates two months of the year.Although he is in favour of the grant for the camp, Nicol was the lone councillor who voted against it because he said tax exempt status should be granted right away and not delayed until April.
1 comment:
P Nick is always the first out of the gate to donate our tax money. Who does he think he is. This is the guy that could do the job as mayor on a part time basis !
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