Tax Bill 2010

Executive summary: Côte Saint-Luc has maintained a cap on its budget for local services. We have reduced average local taxes by 0.7 percent. On the other hand the Montreal Agglomeration Council has increased our bill for island wide services by 11.2 percent. Therefore, the average 4.9 percent tax increase in Côte Saint-Luc is entirely the result of the unacceptable increase in spending at the island-wide level.

Your City Council and administrative staff created a city budget for 2010 that reflects the priorities of the residents of the City of Côte Saint-Luc.

As you will recall, between 2006 and 2008 residents received two separate tax bills-one from Côte Saint-Luc for local services and one from the Agglomeration of Montreal for island-wide services. The law changed in 2008 and now you receive only one tax bill for both local and island-wide services. Côte Saint-Luc collects all taxes and remits its share for island-wide services to the City of Montreal. Note that while the Mayor and councillors control the budget for local services and design and monitor the local budget very closely, we have little input or control over the Agglomeration portion of the expenses. These Agglomeration expenses are mainly used to pay for island-wide and regional services such as the MTC public transit, fire services, police services, water treatment and distribution, municipal evaluation, downtown expenses and collective centre city assets.

Spending on island-wide services has increased considerably over the past four years. In 2009 Côte Saint-Luc paid $23 million to the Agglomeration. In 2010, we must pay $25.7 million to the Agglomeration. This represents an unacceptable increase of 11.2 percent. We joined all the other reconstituted cities on the island of Montreal in opposing the Agglomeration budget this year.  An increase of 11.2 percent is unacceptable in any year but is all the more unacceptable during an economic recession. While we have taken all political steps (and may take other steps) to oppose the Agglomeration budget, it has unfortunately been adopted by City of Montreal representatives who control the vote at the Agglomeration Council and we are legally obliged
to pay the bill.  However, we and our colleagues will continue to work to convince the City of Montreal that it needs to restrain spending at the Agglomeration level and are actively making these representations at the Agglomeration council and at Agglomeration commissions.

In addition we will continue to seek a correction from the Quebec government to ensure that certain island-wide services such as public transit that are used extensively by off-island residents are paid for by all the taxpayers of the metropolitan region. Off-island residents must pay their fair share as well.

On a much brighter note, as in previous years, the budget priority of your local City Council is to provide high quality services for the residents of Côte Saint-Luc while limiting municipal tax increases to an amount below the rate of inflation. This year, I am proud to say that we have managed our local budget so well that there would be a small tax decrease on the average residential property for local services. To be clear this means that you actually have a decrease for the portion of the budget that is entirely within the control of Côte Saint-Luc; however, due to the huge increase in the bill Côte Saint-Luc is receiving from the Agglomeration of Montreal for island-wide services, there is a total net tax increase on the average residential property in Côte Saint-Luc of 4.9 percent. Please note that this is less than the average residential tax increase announced by the City of Montreal for its own residents which was 5.3 percent.

On November 1, 2009, you entrusted us with a second mandate to spend your money wisely. We will continue to do so and thank you for your vote of confidence. We will strive to keep offering you an open, responsive and professional municipal government.

- Anthony Housefather, Mayor of Côte Saint-Luc

- Dida Berku, Councillor - Finance Portfolio

Tax rate breakdown

In 2010, Côte Saint-Luc adopted a budget of $56.9 million representing $31.2 million for local services and $25.7 million to pay the Agglomeration of Montreal for island-wide services. While the cost of local Côte Saint-Luc services has not increased compared to 2009, the bill for island-wide Agglomeration services has increased by $2.7 million. Therefore, despite the fact that due to careful planning and prudent fiscal management, the Côte Saint-Luc local budget (over which we have control) has a tax decrease in 2010, the average home in Cote Saint-Luc will see a 4.9 percent increase due to the increased cost of island-wide services.

Example of the variation of the tax burden (2010 vs. 2009) on a single-family home with an average property evaluation of $412,700.

* Tax rates per $100 of property evaluation

Your tax bill

Your municipal tax is determined by dividing your taxable property valuation by 100 and multiplying that by the municipal tax rate (or "mill rate") and the water reserve tax rate established for your property type. Côte Saint-Luc sets the mill rate for your tax bill. However, the Evaluation Department of the Agglomeration of Montreal continues to assess the value of your property.

Property valuations

The value of your property is used to calculate your municipal tax. We are now in the last year of the 2007-2010 property assessment roll, which was spread over four years to minimize the impact of large increases in property valuations. You can see the property evaluation on your tax bill. A new property assessment roll will be published in the fall, which may modify the value of your property as of January 1, 2011. You will have until April 30, 2011 to apply for review of the new assessment of  your property.

How to pay

Your property tax bill can be paid using any of the following methods:

1. Internet
(online banking) *
* You will need your 18-digit "Matricule" number to identify your municipal tax account. Add "Côte Saint-Luc" to list of suppliers.

2. By mail
Place cheque(s) and payment stub(s) in the return envelope sent to you with your tax bill and mail to the address below:

City of Côte Saint-Luc

Taxation Processing Centre

P.O. Box 11639 Downtown Station

Montreal, QC H3C 5Z5

3. At your financial institution

• Teller¹
• Bank machine¹
• Phone*

¹ You will need your tax bill payment stub(s)

* You will need your 18-digit "Matricule" number to identify your municipal tax account.

4. Your mortgage company

• If you pay your taxes through your mortgage, please contact your mortgage company to ensure that payment is made on time.

5. At Côte Saint-Luc City Hall

• In person (cash, cheque, Interac) at Côte Saint-Luc City Hall weekdays between 8:30am and 4:30pm

Payment deadline

The first installment is due Monday, March 1, 2010.
The second installment is due Monday, May 31, 2010.
If paying by cheque, please include your second installment post dated to May 31, 2010 when sending your first installment. If no post-dated cheque is received for the second installment, you will receive a reminder two weeks prior to the second installment payment deadline.

Questions

If you have any questions, please call 514-485-6800 weekdays between 8:30am and 4:30pm or email us at info@cotesaintluc.org.

If the tax bill is not in your preferred official language, please contact us at 514-485-6800 and any future correspondence will be in your official language of choice.