A2 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, October 3, 2001 Property tax exemptions could be thing of the past CITY COUNCIL is considering eliminating or reducing property tax exemptions for local service clubs and soc- ieties. ' Tax exemptions save anywhere from a few thousand dollars a year for groups like the Kinsmen and Elks to as much as $20,000 for the curling rink and Child Develop- ment Centre. : But city councillors agreed two weeks ago. to lake a hard look at all the discretionary exemptions the city has toutinely issued up to now. “Some of these have been on the exemption list for a long time,” councillor Val: Gearge noted. A total of 10 groups get the exemptions, which coun. - cil can grant or refuse as-it wishés.. A much larger list of Churches; schools and hospital properties get automarh exemptions over which the city has no control. City chief Snamied officer Judy Degemess said she’s determined fram tilkieg to other ‘municipalities that the city can, if it wishes. grent partial exemptions for say 20 per cent or S30 rer cand of the total tax bill, Up until now conc b bas always issued grants for 100 per cent. She said the city ean. also choose to exempt just the land or the buildings, rather chan both. Reducing the discretionary exemptions to 50 per cent would save the city about $20,000 a year. Degemess had recommended ‘council approve exemp- tions for tourist infocentre office, the hospital auxiliary thrift store, the Child Development Centre, the Kin Hut and land used as a bus garage by the Terrace and Area Health Council. Another five - the curling rink, Kermode Friendship Centre, Masonic hall, the Elks Lodge and Terrace Little From front Accident takes life of a local factor in the late-night crash. Terrace Water Rescue and the RCMP dive team at- tempted to find Buck and his vehicle that night but dan- gerous debris and high water levels meant the search had to be put off, said Dave Jephson of Terrace Water Rescue. Two days after the accident the Jeep Cherokee Buck was driving was located by Water Rescue and the dive team but they were unable to locate Buck’s body. Divers from Prince Rupert, Prince George, Quesnel and Dawson Creek were called in to assist in the search. The badly damaged vehicle was found approximately 20 feet from the shore submerged in 20 feet of water, Jephson said. “Hopefully, when the water improves we'll see if we can get back out there and lock again,” said Jephson. On July 23 a 62-year-old man from Prince Rupert died when his car left the road, flipped over and landed up- side down on the CN railroad tracks in that area. The vehicle burst into flames and the driver could not be freed from the vehicle. | That accident happened 42km west of Terrace, On Aug, 21 an American couple negotiated the S- curve at the 40km-mark west of Terrace too quickly and tolled their vehicle. The driver was trapped in the car and fire rescue crews had to use several types of toois to free her before she was flown to Harborview Medical Centre in Seattle and treated for extensive injuries. Constable McBeath said speed was also a factor in that accident. sropprns 635°TIPS Use for dry, damaged or processed hair, | it’s the ultimate “First Aid” for damaged hair! HAIR GALLERY 4711D Keith Ave 635-3729 Theatre — should be investigated further, she said, to en- sure they meet criteria set ont in the Local Government Act, The recommendations led to debate among council- lors about why exemptions should exist for some of the first five. Asked about the tourist info. centre, which one coun- cillor noted shares space with the chamber of com- merce, Degerness said the centre is supported by the city so taxing it would be like moving money fram one city pocket to another. - Councillor David Hull said some exemptions -- for the child development centre and health council - are for _ Organizations supported almost wholly by government. “1 think we should look at them all to be honest,” Hull said. New councillor Marylin Davies defended the tax ex- emption for the hospital auxiliary, which she said uses all money to suppart the hospital. But she said-a case could be made that the curling club is a membership-driven recreational group that should pay its own way. “IT have a problem with tax exemptions for special in- terest groups,” Davies said. Administration is to prepare a suggested policy for deciding which groups get exemptions. October is Eye Health Month in. Canada. 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