Below are the long-term challenges that are facing Carmangay that Council and administration have been trying to find solutions to. It is hoped that this will help inform the public and byelection candidates and we move forward together to find solutions.
Focus on New Commercial Businesses and Invigorating the Home Market
There has been some good recent progress in building up the number of commercial properties in Carmangay from the time 25 years ago when it accounted for about 40% of the tax base.
Residential Taxes | Commercial Taxes | Residential Taxes w Inflation | Commercial Taxes w Inflation | |
1994 | $ 62,830 | $ 49,888 | $ 99,623 | $ 79,102 |
2000 | $ 102,024 | $ 12,567 | $ 144,599 | $ 17,811 |
2010 | $ 249,820 | $ – | $ 291,065 | $ – |
2017 | $ 262,461 | $ 28,289 | $ 273,301 | $ 29,457 |
2019 | $ 258,284 | $ 45,205 | $ 258,284 | $ 45,205 |
This Council has held the line on residential taxes and the amount that the Village has collected has gone down in the last few years.
The number of homes has gone down by 20 in the last 2 decades from 160 in 2000 to 140 in 2019, which is a reduction of 12.5%.
Number of Homes | |
1994 | 117 |
2000 | 160 |
2010 | 135 |
2017 | 140 |
2019 | 140 |
This means that the remaining homeowners need to account for this loss to support the cost of utilities as well as taxes for services and infrastructure. Bare lots as well as properties turned back to the Village under tax recovery produce significantly lower to no tax and utility revenue.
Focus on New Revenue Opportunities and Cost Savings
Administration has looked for new ways to create revenue and keep residential taxes the same or lower. These include;
- The current Village of Carmangay staff have done water and sanitary projects for other municipalities as well as outside groups. This has provided some additional revenue that allows the Village to reduce the cost of its own work. It is the hope of administration to continue to expand these opportunities.
- The Telus tower will provide new lease and tax revenue to the Village of Carmangay of just under $10,000 per year.
- The Solar Farm which is 100% covered by capital grants and will cut the cost of electricity to the Village by at least $13,000 per year and more as electricity rates climb. There is additional capacity as well that can be used if expansion of Village buildings or infrastructure is considered.
- Working with the other 4 Villages to find ways to lower costs and get more value. These include online data storage for archived files, using the same accounting system as well as working together on hydrant flow testing and other infrastructure work. This is hoped to be expanded moving forward.
The Focus on upgrading the Water and Sanitary Infrastructure
Carmangay has an aging infrastructure that has required ongoing investment of capital grants to start to remediate. As an example, the pumping station pumps that were recently replace were from the 1970’s. Some of the fire hydrants are from the 1950’s as are some of the sanitary lines. The existing water plant is about 2/3 to ¾ through its lifecycle. Additionally, the water flow of approximately 185 gallons per minute is far from sufficient for fire suppression which requires a minimum of 600 gallons per minute but should be closer to 1,000 gallons per minute.