Two-tiered government?

Discounting homebuilding charges in serviced areas seen as discriminatory by rural residents

A plan to kickstart new homebuilding in the County has stirred up an angry response among some rural residents in Ameliasburgh and perhaps elsewhere— charging that Shire Hall is discriminating against rural home building and, in doing so, creating a two-tiered municipality with different rules for different places.

Last month the municipality adopted new development charges (fees paid by builders to partially fund growth-related costs for municipal services and programs). But new housing starts have been in decline for five years—with just 69 new homes built last year, the lowest level since 2000. So council and staff agreed to cut development charges by 50 per cent for the next three years in an effort to lure builders and homebuyers back to the County.

In doing so they elected to limit this incentive to serviced or partially serviced areas (those with waterworks services). This was done in part to encourage new homes where they could help support the burgeoning cost of waterworks upgrades and debt. But it was also done to be compliant with the County’s Official Plan and the province’s policy—both of which discourage parceling up rural land for homes as this type of development tends to constrain agriculture operations. The County has seen its share of these issues, most notably on Massassauga Road.

But for many of the 50 residents who filed into the Ameliasburgh Town Hall last Thursday, a discount for urban development smacks of preferred treatment for residents many feel get a better deal from Shire Hall.

“This is a penalty on rural development,” said Bill Bonter. “You are squeezing off development in rural areas. It’s not fair. This is not why we joined a one-tier County—to be isolated in this way.”

Others invoked the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the threat of a legal challenge if council did not move to include rural areas in the discount to development charges.

The councillors present—Dianne O’Brien, Janice Maynard, Nick Nowitski and Alec Lunn—had all voted in favour of a losing effort a couple days earlier to extend the discount across the County. They struggled to defend the decision.

“I feel the same way,” said Lunn. “We made your arguments. We lost.”

Councillor Dianne O’Brien called it a “development charge fiasco” but hinted that a remedy was in the works.

But at least one resident failed to see how he should been offended by the discount to development charges in serviced areas.

“If I live in a rural area and I don’t build a new home—how is this unjust to me?” asked Ken Barnett.

He heard no response.

LIGHTNING ROD
It was clear, however, that to some the discount to development charges was viewed as merely the latest in a series of insults to rural residents. Some pointed to a recent decision to extend the County pilot green bin program only after complaints emerged from a previous Ameliasburgh Town Hall meeting.

Others complained about the cost of dredging in the Wellington harbour, others of an uneconomical quarry on Ridge Road. Still others wanted councillors to dissect the share of services and infrastructure improvement Ameliasburgh receives from the municipality. Some are skeptical the value of these services equals the amount of taxes they pay to Shire Hall.

Councillors urged residents to move past the rancour but, still licking their wounds from a bruising battle over development charges two nights earlier, their enthusiasm for unity was muted.