DRYDEN — City council is supporting continuing to provide property tax relief for the Dryden Food Bank.
During their meeting on Monday, Dryden city council voted in favour of a full property tax rebate for the food bank for tax years from 2023 through 2026.
Provincial legislation requires municipalities are required to have a property tax rebate program in place for eligible charities. The City of Dryden’s bylaw provides a minimum rebate of 40 per cent on properties that occupy a registered charity and is in either the commercial or industrial property classes.
Allen Huckabay, manager of the Dryden Food Bank, formally requested in a letter to the council that the Dryden Food Bank receive full property tax relief.
“This tax rebate program has assisted us in being able to Relieve Hunger and Renew Hope to the residents of Dryden that struggle with food insecurity,” Huckabay writes. “Presently we have 260 households registered made up of 489 people. [Thirty] per cent are children 0-18 years of age. Your tax rebate program helps us in making sure we have food to assist these families.”
City treasurer Steven Lansdell-Roll said in his report that the Dryden Food Bank has been receiving a 100 per cent tax rebate since 2007.
Lansdell-Roll said staff are recommending that council approve the 100 per cent tax rebate for the Dryden Food Bank.
The rebate would amount to approximately $5,530 in the municipal tax levy for 2023, which Roll said the amount will remain in the food banks coffers.
The city has budgeted a total of $40,000 for charitable tax rebates.
When asked how much has already been allocated to charities through the charitable tax rebate program, Lansdell-Roll said that, so far, applications have not been approved as of yet for the 2023 budgeted amount. However, in previous years, the rebate program has not exceeded $35,000.
