Businesses owners in the Pemberton industrial park are raising concerns about what the 2019 municipal budget could mean for their bottom line.
The issue is related to BC Assessment's most recent property assessment, which resulted in a dramatic increase in value for property and businesses in the area.
During its March 19 regular council meeting, Village of Pemberton (VOP) council discussed a letter from Janice McWilliam and Tom Ralphs, owners of Pemberton Self Storage who laid out their concerns. "We have invested everything we have in Pemberton and don't want to be forced out by taxes," read the letter.
In an interview with Pique, McWilliam said the new assessments caught business owners off guard.
Her property went from a valuation of $249,000 to $941,000, and the new storage facility built this year on the land was assessed at $722,000, she said.
A group of 15 industrial park business and property owners have retained a consultant to appeal the assessment, said McWilliam.
"At this point, we have been denied any change in assessment at the first level appeal," she said. "So now it has escalated to the second level of appeal."
McWilliam said she is facing a $22,000 bill should the commercial tax rate stay the same as last year.
"It basically (makes) our business plan garbage," said McWilliam, who would like to see the rate lowered.
"Our five-year business plan was that in five years our taxes may increase up to $20,000."
Sandy Ryan of Whistler Welding Services attended the meeting and raised similar concerns.
"The assessments were definitely a huge shock to us," said Ryan. "It's been very stressful for everybody."
In response to the letter, Sheena Fraser, the VOP's manager of corporate and legislative services, said that the Village had received a number of inquiries from industrial park business owners.
The VOP's budget process is already well underway, with council having instructed staff to increase the municipal tax rate by 5.75 per cent (See Pique, "Pemberton accounts for Employer Tax in 2019 budget," March 18).
Fraser noted that some property owners recently added buildings and that assessments "change automatically with the improvement," adding that the municipal portion of the taxes that Pemberton Self Storage faces will rise by around $4,000. (The VOP collects taxes on behalf of other agencies, including the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District and the school district.)
Following the meeting, VOP Mayor Mike Richman said he is concerned about the new assessments and affordability in the Pemberton valley generally.
But altering the commercial rate would then force the VOP to counter by altering the residential rate, he said.
"Even if we wanted to change the mill rate for the industrial park, then it would change (it) for all businesses downtown," he said, noting that both areas fall under the same rate.
"And therefore there would be a considerable drop in revenue and the residential taxpayers would have to pick up most of that lost revenue."
Downtown Enhancement Project open house
The downtown enhancement project is poised to begin, and to give Pemberton residents a better sense of how construction will impact them, the VOP is hosting an open house on Tuesday, March 26.
"It's a big project," said Mayor Richman. "I just want to say, please be patient with the process. It will be a little bit disruptive, as we dig up streets and put in storm water (systems) and sidewalks. But the end result is going to be of huge value to this community."
The event will be held at the Pemberton and District Community Centre (7380 Cottonwood St.) between 5 and 7 p.m.
New furniture for the Ts'zil Learning Centre
The Lil'wat Nation has received a $300,000 grant from Capilano University for new furniture and teaching equipment.
The money will be used to outfit the Nation's new $8.1-million educational facility—known as the Ts'zil Learning Centre—with new chairs, desks, visual equipment, and furniture for the student lounge.
It will replace equipment that has been in use for almost two decades.
