Feature Article January 15, 2004
LAND O' LAKES NewsWeb HomeContact Us
North Frontenac trailer park owners hit hard by MPAC
The Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) has fixed its gaze on the owners of recreational trailer parks and this has put North Frontenac and other townships in an awkward position. In early December, the township was notified that supplemental assessments for the 2003 tax year were being levied against four seasonal trailer park owners in the township.
In one case, a trailer park was assessed at $395,000, which translated into a $6,000 tax bill. This was over and above their taxes for 2003. MPAC argues that the businesses should recoup these taxes from the trailer owners to whom they leased space last summer. North Frontenac Township is bound by law to levy the taxes, but they have granted the businesses until August to pay the bills.
The trailer park owners, and the township, are hoping that the lobbying efforts of the Ontario Private Campground Owners Association will sway MPAC from their decision to tax seasonally used trailers retroactively for 2003, and to retract plans to do so for future years.
In the past few years, campground owners have faced new water regulations that have raised costs substantially, and have faced increases in insurance premiums, and campground owners say the net effect of all these new costs is putting their survival as businesses at risk.
There were two letters from campground owners on this issue that were received by NF Council at the January 12 meeting.
On February 13, there will be a meeting with MPAC and campground operators at the Barrie Township Hall in Cloyne. If there is no positive outcome from the meeting, Council will be careful to keep the letters in active discussion and not just shelve them.
The meeting is open to the public. The News will have more on this issue in the coming weeks as part of our ongoing coverage of tax assessment matters.
