First decent frost this morning at minus 1 here and the spuds are toast for growing anymore.
Ladies and Gentlemen warm up your snowmobile engines it looks like an early winter
Kiwi

Ah I finally got a look at the map and now realize where we are on Sheridan Lake is exluded from the fire protection area...they very neatly drew a line around us! So no fire protection..but it looks like no tax increase either. So good luck on the referendum all who are in favor of it. Looking forward to my next trip up...

Hate to go back to the Coast, just love it at the Lake

There is a hangdout-package available at CRD in 100 mile which is intended to inform the so called non-residents on how, when and where to vote.

It is certainly not my wish to abuse Rob and Norms Webcam and the guestbook which is not intended to be a forum.
As a member of this community as all others are, I am not able to express any opinions on the validity of the referendum that will be voted on by the property owners of this region.
Please inform yourselves by referring to the CRD website for relevant information and use your right to vote as you see fit.
Kiwi

Regardless of everyone's views on whether this tax is a good idea or not, to not be allowed a vote because I can't attend the meeting is a complete violation of due process. All of us who don't live in the CRD full time need to let them know that this is unacceptable.

Kiwi, if you don't want to turn this guestbook into a forum for discussing this, could you please email me directly with more info. What is the benefit if this passes? thx

I visited CRD in person today. This is not the first attempt via a referendum to try to ram a new fire tax down our throats. This was defeated a few short years ago, yet here we are with the same group trying again.

If you have a property assessed at 200,000 on the improvement portion of your tax notice, you will pay approximately an additional $372 per year, every year. 300,000, $520 extra every year.

All this for little or no improvement in response time to a fire as the halls will still be manned by volunteers on call, except perhaps with better radios.

I agree that all property owners should be able to vote. I don't know why the CRD limits it to only those who can attend. They seem to be able to send out tax notices to every owner, why not mail-in ballots?

It would appear those seasonnal property owners that can not attend the voting dates for Fire Protection Service are plain out of luck, appears no opportunity to vote from afar. Received our notice on monday, not much advance warning to request the seasonnals be given better opportunity to vote. Many of us out there. I see there is a 1 800 # to Election officers, will let them know my thoughts.

Tax information for Fire Dept Referendum

1. the establishment of a service to provide fire protection to the service area, with a maximum requisition of $286,965 or an amount raised by applying a tax rate of $0.6977/$1,000 to the net taxable value of land and improvements in the service area (based on 2008 assessed values, the residential rate is $1.55/$1,000 on assessed value of residential improvements only, plus $50.00 parcel tax); and