Port Moody residents will be paying about $89 more on their property tax bill for 2012 after council approved the tax rates bylaw at Tuesday's meeting.
And Port Metro Vancouver will be asked to chip in as well, after Coun. Zoe Royer questioned why the city's lone port property, Pacific Coast Terminals, wasn't contributing to the fire hall replacement levy or the storm drainage fund.
The port property tax cap, introduced in 2003 by the Liberal government to encourage investment, means port properties pay less tax than other Class 4 industrial sites. Victoria kicks in a grant to cities hosting a port property - this year's was $556,000 - and the city distributes the difference of $188,000 among other industrial properties.
Royer said if the city is providing fire protection and other benefits to PCT, they should pay their fair share for the upgrades.
The port property's mill rate is capped at $27.50 per $1,000 assessed value, but it's up to the city to distribute it among various departments; in the tax rates bylaw presented Tuesday, staff divided the tax revenue from PCT among city and police services and the regional district, but director of finance Paul Rockwood noted it could have been distributed differently.
"There's nothing wrong with sending a letter asking if they'll voluntarily contribute to the construction of the new fire hall," said Coun. Gerry Nuttall.
The only trouble was in deciding where the letter should be sent - Port Metro Vancouver, which owns the property, or its tenant, PCT.
Council approved an amended version of Royer's motion to send the letter to Port Metro Vancouver; she voted against it while Coun. Diana Dilworth, who works for PCT, was absent after excusing herself due to potential conflict of interest.
