CBS council approves collection action against slow payers

By Craig Westcott

It’s that time of year again when CBS council and other municipalities across the province threaten to take a hard line with property holders who still owe taxes for the previous year.

Council gave its approval last week for staff to start issuing water cut-off notices and take other measures to cajole late payers into getting their taxes in. The Town is owed some $4.25 million from last year.

Staff have a progression of collection moves at their disposal ranging from the threat of cutting off water, to handing over the accounts to collection agencies and even seizing and selling off properties in order to collect the money. The latter is a drastic measure that only occurs after a significant period of time has expired.

“This is where we get after we’ve tried numerous times to collect outstanding taxes on properties, businesses and so forth,” said Mayor Darrin Bent after Ward 3 councillor Gerard Tilley made the motion to start collection efforts. “This is what we call the last-ditch attempt to recover that money that may require water disconnection as a first step, collection agencies and a court action, possibly even the sale of the property,” Bent added. “So, it’s an extreme move, but it’s something that we have to do because it’s our duty to ensure that we collect the taxes to pay the bills here so that everybody is paying their fair share and that other people are not shouldering the bill of people that aren’t paying. It’s unfortunate we have to do this, but it’s not a first step. This is a last step. We’ve been down this road with all the people on the list for quite a while, and here we are, so it’s unfortunate.”