BY NANCY KELLY

Kings County Register

Higher assessment values will have Kingston residents digging deeper to pay taxes in the year ahead.

Kingston’s residential property base has been assessed at $128 million for 2007/ 08 and commercial properties at $19 million. These figures represent an overall nine per cent increase in assessment values over the previous year. The combined tax base will provide the village with just over $862,000 in revenue.

At the village’s May 2 annual meeting, clerk/ treasurer Kelly Rice reported the residential tax rate will remain at 25 cents per $100 of assessment and the commercial area rate will rise from 30 to 33 cents to reflect a phase-out of the business occupancy tax. The area rate for sidewalks, in place for three years now, will remain at five cents. Due to increased costs associated with wastewater treatment, the sewer rate will be bumped up 10 per cent.

“That means, if you paid $200 for sewer service last year, it will be $220 in the year ahead,” explained Rice.

Most budget line items remain close to last year’s totals, with the exception of a few. In the coming year, the village will allocate $2,500 to the Western Kings Arena for use of the facility.

“For all the events over all the years, the arena has never charged us. This is a way we can give back to their renovation campaign,” said Rice.

Costs for environmental services will also rise, due mainly to a 100 per cent increase in the cost of sludge removal.

“The province continues to put more regulations in place all the time, and we have to keep up,” noted village chairman Murray Kinsman.

In order to save costs on its wastewater testing, the village will soon conduct its own testing. Staff is being trained to carry out testing that will be monitored by the province’s environment department.

When the issue of sidewalk construction was raised, public works commissioner Scott Peckford responded the accumulated fund of $71,000 will not allow for much work. Recent estimates for Marshall Road and Balser Drive indicate sidewalks would cost upwards of $700,000 on each route. Peckford said he would rather continue to accumulate funds until a cost-shared program becomes available.

“If we could get a one-third sharing situation, we would get a lot more bang for our buck.”

Two new faces will sit at the commission table effective May 8. David Lowe, who filed his nomination papers prior to the annual meeting, was acclaimed to the commission, along with newcomer Steve Nickerson, nominated at the meeting.