I write this with great disappointment toward the handful of people that do not want a Library/Museum in the nicest building on Main St in McBride, BC.
The CAO of McBride should have been able to tell you that the Municipal Tax portion for the Village of McBride for 521 Main St. was $7,114 for last year not $20,000!
True facts about taxes:
– In 2006 the Village of McBride collected $246,000 in Municipal taxes
– In 2013 the Village of McBride collected $440,000 in Municipal taxes
How are these tax increases justified? How does our Village justify substantial improvements to warrant this HUGE TAX INCREASE?!
The reporter also on this story was more interested in apparently wanting an angle to the story of “Maybe because some people don’t like the owner Tom Ryan. I say, “Seriously?”
Shelly and I as well as many other volunteers have supported in many fundraisers Shelly and I did receive nearly 50 donations from local businesses supporting the Library/Museum expansion. Also we had a very successful re-zoning public meeting.
Where was the public meeting and how was the decision made to take the more expensive, Old Forestry Building, out of the Village of McBride Municipal Tax Base?
We have and remain dedicated to pursuing a Cultural Centre for our area residents to enjoy!
Anyone willing and able to help see this vision become a reality please contact me.
Tom Ryan
McBride
Editor’s Note:
Tom Ryan’s letter in the April 1st issue of the Goat correctly stated that the Village of McBride only gets about $7,000 in taxes annually from Mr. Ryan’s property on Main Street. He was writing in response to an article about the revived proposal to relocate the library. $7,000 isn’t much money compared to the $20,000 tax bill mentioned in the article.
Some think the library/museum should get a tax exemption if or when it moves into Mr. Ryan’s property, and the size of the tax bill would be the size of the hole in the budget.
The article said that hole would be $20,000 – rather than $7,000 – because the Regional District also gets tax money from properties in McBride. And the CAO of the District told the Goat that it doesn’t plan to give the library/museum a tax exemption for the District’s share of the money. And so either the Village of McBride or the library/museum would have to come up with that money. And the District’s share, together with McBride’s $7,000, adds up to about $20,000. We left all this out of the article to try to make it a little less long. We apologize for the confusion.
