Mark King, who chairs the Nipissing DSSAB, believes there’s a way for EMS, which falls under the board, to receive a bit more money.
However, King says the additional money requires city council exempting EMS from property taxes and then applying that money to EMS.
King says the approach is something new and is already in place in Niagara Falls.
He says Niagara city council amended its by-law to exempt private landowners from property taxes if the owner is in a partnership with a public agency, like its local DSSAB.
“The owner is not subject to standard building costs from a building permit standpoint nor is the private owner subject to property taxes,” King said.
King says DSSAB recently took possession of the EMS building and the structure is a public-private relationship.
“So we’re paying taxes on it as deemed by the City,” King said.
“But now that we know that they’re doing something differently in Niagara, we intend to go back to council and explain how it’s being done in other areas to alleviate that inherent costs faced by EMS.”
King says if EMS is exempt from costs like property taxes, then the money not paid out can instead be applied to “build the manpower needed to help control the dramatic increase in service required by the city.”
