By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative
Multiple RM of Corman Park councillors reported during their March 31 meeting that they are receiving numerous calls about the new fire service fee, which is intended to replace the current requirement for property-owners to carry a minimum of $30,000 in fire protection through their insurance.
In February, Corman Park councillors approved a new draft Fire Services Fee policy that is intended to fund the cost of residential and agricultural fire protection within the RM.
The fee, which is currently proposed to be $128, will be applied to all 4,700 unique properties within the RM, generating about $600,000 each year.
In addition to eliminating the insurance requirement for property-owners, this fee is also intended to eliminate the disputes that arise when property owners are billed for firefighting services as a result of fires they did not start.
It should be noted that commercial and industrial properties will continue to be charged the full cost of fire service protection.
As well, residential and agricultural property-owners may still be billed for fire response costs relating to unregistered burns or nuisance calls.
Division 2 Councillor John Saleski stated at the March 31 meeting that he had probably received more calls regarding the fee than any other issue since he had been elected as a councillor, which he admitted was a little surprising.
Saleski said he had forwarded some of the ratepayers to CAO Kerry Hilts and Director of Finance Cal Hamm.
“That worked out very well. I had a couple of people call back and say they were happy with the call they got from Cal,” he said.
Division 7 Councillor Calvin Vaandrager, Division 8 Councillor Wendy Trask and Reeve Joe Hargrave also said they had received numerous calls, text messages and e-mails about the fire fee, though generally once ratepayers received an explanation about why it was being introduced, they were understanding.
“There’s always going to be somebody that’s not happy with it, but I think generally, people are pretty satisfied (once they get their questions answered),” added Hargrave.
Trask noted that many people weren’t aware of the number of firefighting invoices coming to the RM.
She also brought up that some ratepayers in her area, particularly those who live in very remote areas, had started purchasing fire wagons that they were setting up at their gates to be ready for a swift fire response.
The idea is that anyone could come by and hitch up those wagons in order to transport water to a fire “before it gets out of control,” she said.
Trask said the RM may eventually start getting requests from residents about providing financial assistance to purchase those wagons.