Huron County council has approved its budget for 2019. Warden Jim Ginn explains there is an increase of 3.5 per cent in overall spending.
But he adds growth in assessment will actually bring the tax rate down slightly. So, he says, someone who's assessment has remained the same as last year will pay a little less in property tax this year while someone who's assessment has gone up will pay more.
Ginn points out there was a request from the Huron County Federation of Agriculture to have the tax rate lowered for farm land because the value of farm land has gone up dramatically again in the past year, but that request was denied by county council. So the tax rate will remain at 25 per cent of the residential rate for vacant farm land.
“It's a three and a half per cent increase in spending, but with assessment growth it will actually be a slight decrease in the tax rate. So if your assessment stayed the same you'll actually be paying a little less, if your assessment went up then, of course, you'll have to pay more.”
“Farm land has went up tremendously in value and therefore the assessment on it has went up. There was a proposal to drop the tax rate but that did not pass through county council, so the tax rate will remain 25 per cent of the residential rate for vacant farm land.”
