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Lancaster Heights residents in Comox will pay undetermined extra tax

Following the notification of a surprise parcel tax for a sanitary sewer lift station to about 60 homeowners in Lancaster Heights, Comox council authenticated the parcel tax roll for the area Wednesday, with the amount of tax yet to be determined.

Following the notification of a surprise parcel tax for a sanitary sewer lift station to about 60 homeowners in Lancaster Heights, Comox council authenticated the parcel tax roll for the area Wednesday, with the amount of tax yet to be determined.With a council chamber full of residents, councillors debated the merits of the policy. Residents of the area received the surprise notification of the tax increase this February, and according to finance director Donald Jacquest, the area's developer Harold Long "dropped the ball."Jacquest communicated to Long who agreed to notify potential homeowners about the local service to fund operation of the station, which lifts sewage to the regional district's 'megalift station' at the bottom of Jane Place. The cost is estimated at about $165 per parcel per year.When Jacquest contacted Long in March to confirm notice had been provided, the developer admitted he did not notify residents, noted Jacquest in a report to the review panel. Jacquest is disappointed Long did not notify residents, as agreed when the Town established a bylaw and approved the first of his subdivisions.In 2008, the Town approved the first of three subdivisions that would depend on a lift station for sanitary sewer service. The parcel tax is intended to pay for lift station costs, which exceed the cost of the gravity sanitary sewer and sewage treatment that the lift station also uses."The only people who actually get any use of that type of a system and any other where there's a parcel tax is people right in that area. Having said that, these people weren't given fair notice. It's going to be a bit of a tricky situation, dealing with that particular piece of it," said Coun. Ken Grant."In general, if these people have been notified earlier, we wouldn't be sitting here today having this problem. To me, that's going to be crux — what we do when we get back to third reading," he added."Liability is for the town to deal with. We can always strive to do better ... and will do that as we can. We'll have to decide as a council what the rate is going to be," noted Mayor Paul Ives.Council will examine the rate of parcel tax at the May 4 council meeting.photos@comoxvalleyrecord.com



Erin Haluschak

About the Author: Erin Haluschak

Erin Haluschak is a journalist with the Comox Valley Record since 2008. She is also the editor of Trio Magazine...
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