Latest news with #MikeZegarac
CBC
08-05-2025
- Business
- CBC
Forgot to declare if you're living in your Hamilton home? City extends deadline for vacant unit tax
The City of Hamilton is extending the April 30 deadline for anyone who has yet to declare if their property is vacant or not. All homeowners now have until May 30 to inform the city, as part of the new vacant unit tax (VUT) program. The new deadline was approved by council Wednesday. This the first year of the VUT, which will see the city impose a one per cent levy on a home's assessed value if no one was living there for more than half of 2024. Mike Zegarac, general manager of finance, told council that as of Wednesday, the city has received declarations for 94 per cent of Hamilton's 180,000 homes. Staff are working "with compassion and in an effort assist property owners," he said. The tax is designed to discourage investors from buying homes and letting them sit empty instead of renting them out to long-term tenants. Any revenue generated from the program will go toward increasing affordable housing supply, the city says. City setting up appeal process The city mailed letters to all homeowners informing them of the process. Some councillors have had concerns not all residents would be aware of the VUT, miss the declaration window, and be inadvertently penalized. If the city doesn't receive a response from homeowners, staff will assume the property is vacant and issue the tax. "What about the little old ladies who don't read their mail?" Coun. Brad Clark asked staff Wednesday. "Folks who were snowbirds and out of town? There could be a death in the family. There's a whole list of reasons why people might not be paying attention to their mail." Clayton Pereira, director of revenue services, said staff have worked "tirelessly" to create an appeal system to handle complaints. "Ultimately our goal here is to educate the residents and make a decision that's fair," he said. Homeowners need the roll number and access code found on the declaration notice letter from the city or their most recent property tax bill. They can make declarations online or by phone, email or in person.
Hamilton Spectator
08-05-2025
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton extends deadline to avoid tax on vacant homes by a month
The city is giving stragglers another month to make declarations for Hamilton's new tax on vacant homes . With 94 per cent of residential property owners meeting the original April 30 deadline, finance staff aim to encourage more to file their paperwork. To do that, council has agreed to extend the vacant unit tax (VUT) declaration period to May 30. The city will send letters to the remaining property owners next week, Mike Zegarac, general manager of finance and corporate services, said Wednesday. 'So one further effort for outreach.' The VUT, which is meant to discourage vacant homes, is a one per cent tax on the assessed value of properties with six or fewer units that were vacant for more than 183 days the previous calendar year. A number of exemptions apply. The properties of those who don't make declarations will be deemed vacant. Vancouver, Ottawa and Toronto also have taxes on empty homes. There have been hiccups — including technological glitches, postal delays and overloaded phone lines — in Hamilton's maiden VUT rollout. Council has waived the $250 penalty for tardiness. And earlier this spring, the city held drop-in clinics to help residents fill out declarations while councillors also made efforts to assist constituents. 'There has been continuous improvement in terms of the process,' Zegarac said Wednesday. An average of about 1,500 declarations per day have been received in the last 10 days of the initial declaration period. With about 13,000 properties still outstanding, of those forms already submitted, just over 300 have been declared vacant, staff noted. Initial payments for those on quarterly plans are due in June. An appeal process for those who missed the deadline or disputes for charges is to start in July. For more information about the VUT, including how to make declarations, visit .
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hamilton council targets big and small to shave about $500K off proposed 2025 city budget
Hamilton councillors say they're still looking for ways to reduce a projected average property tax increase of about 5.6 per cent, but savings won't come from freezing the police budget or cutting the city's poet in residence. Both were suggestions proposed by councillors Friday as part of a general issues committee meeting focused on the 2025 city budget. Throughout it, councillors moved motions targeting expenses big and small. The cumulative result was about $500,000 in savings, Mike Zegarac, general manager of finance and corporate services, said at the end of the meeting. He said the proposed average property tax increase went from 5.66 per cent at the start of the day, to about 5.62 per cent at the end of the day. Here's some of what councillors decided. Council rejects motion to freeze police budget Coun. Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2) moved a motion that the Hamilton Police Service Board's proposed budget increase of 5.7 per cent (or about $12 million) be rejected and not increased at all. The result, he said, would have been about a 0.9 per cent reduction to the projected property tax increase. The police budget, Kroetsch said, has historically received more consistent support from council than any other departmental budget. Despite that, he said, residents continue to tell him they're not getting what they want or need from the police. The motion was not an effort to defund the police service, but to assert that funding can't go up until police answer community members' calls for change and more transparency, said Coun. Alex Wilson (Ward 13), who seconded the motion. Other councillors condemned the motion, saying their constituents overwhelmingly support spending on police and want more service. Coun. Mike Spadafora (Ward 14) called the motion "unacceptable" and said most Hamiltonians want police "in their neighbourhoods protecting their families." "They love the police," he said. "Don't tell me we don't need police. Don't tell me they're not doing their jobs," Coun. Brad Clark (Ward 9) said. The motion failed 2-14. Poetry pilot off the chopping block A much smaller budget item also generated significant debate: the city's Poet in Place pilot, through which the city hired a poet in residence for work including performing and hosting workshops. The program is a sore spot for many residents, several councillors said. For some, Clark said, it's an "exemplification of city hall's waste." Coun. Matt Francis (Ward 5) moved to end the program and reallocate the funds to infrastructure. Staff said that due to a 60-day termination clause in the contract, the move would save the city about $8,300. "Every dollar counts," Francis said. "I don't care if this program costs $10. People hate it and they want it gone." Mayor Andrea Horwath was one of several on coucil who defended the program, saying coming after such a relatively small expense seemed more political than practical. She said cities need "vibrancy" programs like this one. "I think poetry is important and we don't get enough of it," Coun. Ted McMeekin (Ward 15) said. The motion failed on an 8-8 tie. Councillors vote to clean up underpasses At least one of Friday's motions proposed spending rather than saving money. Kroetsch moved to add $130,000 to the budget to improve the cleanliness and safety of underpasses in Wards 1, 2, 3 and 4. Kroetsch said that in response to concerns about dead pigeons, bird poop and poor lighting under bridges, he consulted city staff, who then identified 14 bridge underpasses that could be cleaned more regularly. He noted improvements that had been made under bridges, like the one near Hamilton GO Centre station on which netting to deter pigeons and brighter LED lights, make for a safer and more pleasant downtown. The James Street South underpass has been improved by brighter LED lights and mesh to deter pigeons, Coun. Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2) says. He successfully moved a motion on Friday to spend more on routine underpass maintenance in 2025. (Justin Chandler/CBC) Coun. Tom Jackson (Ward 6) said although he wanted to reduce spending, he would "reluctantly" support Kroetsch's motion, adding he was "just shell shocked" to learn about the lack of maintenance. Horwath also expressed frustration, saying from her perspective, the city should be able to manage regular cleaning without councillors having to weigh in. The motion carried 13-3. Out-of-order motions On the advice of city clerk Matthew Trennum, meeting chair Coun. Maureen Wilson (Ward 1) ruled a few motions out of order on Friday, saying they did not directly impact the budget process and would need to be discussed in a different forum. One such motion was Coun. John Paul Danko's (Ward 8) to "realign City funding" to organizations proven to be "good faith community partners." He said it was disappointing he didn't learn the motion was out of order sooner. At multiple points throughout the day, councillors expressed frustration with the budget process, which is different this year because of the Ontario government's expansion of strong mayor powers. Budget deliberations will continue at the Feb. 12 council meeting.
CBC
08-02-2025
- Business
- CBC
Hamilton council targets big and small to shave about $500K off proposed 2025 city budget
Social Sharing Hamilton councillors say they're still looking for ways to reduce a projected average property tax increase of about 5.6 per cent, but savings won't come from freezing the police budget or cutting the city's poet in residence. Both were suggestions proposed by councillors Friday as part of a general issues committee meeting focused on the 2025 city budget. Throughout it, councillors moved motions targeting expenses big and small. The cumulative result was about $500,000 in savings, Mike Zegarac, general manager of finance and corporate services, said at the end of the meeting. He said the proposed average property tax increase went from 5.66 per cent at the start of the day, to about 5.62 per cent at the end of the day. Here's some of what councillors decided. Council rejects motion to freeze police budget Coun. Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2) moved a motion that the Hamilton Police Service Board's proposed budget increase of 5.7 per cent (or about $12 million) be rejected and not increased at all. The result, he said, would have been about a 0.9 per cent reduction to the projected property tax increase. The police budget, Kroetsch said, has historically received more consistent support from council than any other departmental budget. Despite that, he said, residents continue to tell him they're not getting what they want or need from the police. The motion was not an effort to defund the police service, but to assert that funding can't go up until police answer community members' calls for change and more transparency, said Coun. Alex Wilson (Ward 13), who seconded the motion. Other councillors condemned the motion, saying their constituents overwhelmingly support spending on police and want more service. Coun. Mike Spadafora (Ward 14) called the motion "unacceptable" and said most Hamiltonians want police "in their neighbourhoods protecting their families." "They love the police," he said. "Don't tell me we don't need police. Don't tell me they're not doing their jobs," Coun. Brad Clark (Ward 9) said. The motion failed 2-14. Poetry pilot off the chopping block A much smaller budget item also generated significant debate: the city's Poet in Place pilot, through which the city hired a poet in residence for work including performing and hosting workshops. The program is a sore spot for many residents, several councillors said. For some, Clark said, it's an "exemplification of city hall's waste." Coun. Matt Francis (Ward 5) moved to end the program and reallocate the funds to infrastructure. Staff said that due to a 60-day termination clause in the contract, the move would save the city about $8,300. "Every dollar counts," Francis said. "I don't care if this program costs $10. People hate it and they want it gone." Mayor Andrea Horwath was one of several on coucil who defended the program, saying coming after such a relatively small expense seemed more political than practical. She said cities need "vibrancy" programs like this one. "I think poetry is important and we don't get enough of it," Coun. Ted McMeekin (Ward 15) said. The motion failed on an 8-8 tie. Councillors vote to clean up underpasses At least one of Friday's motions proposed spending rather than saving money. Kroetsch moved to add $130,000 to the budget to improve the cleanliness and safety of underpasses in Wards 1, 2, 3 and 4. Kroetsch said that in response to concerns about dead pigeons, bird poop and poor lighting under bridges, he consulted city staff, who then identified 14 bridge underpasses that could be cleaned more regularly. He noted improvements that had been made under bridges, like the one near Hamilton GO Centre station on which netting to deter pigeons and brighter LED lights, make for a safer and more pleasant downtown. Coun. Tom Jackson (Ward 6) said although he wanted to reduce spending, he would "reluctantly" support Kroetsch's motion, adding he was "just shell shocked" to learn about the lack of maintenance. Horwath also expressed frustration, saying from her perspective, the city should be able to manage regular cleaning without councillors having to weigh in. The motion carried 13-3. Out-of-order motions On the advice of city clerk Matthew Trennum, meeting chair Coun. Maureen Wilson (Ward 1) ruled a few motions out of order on Friday, saying they did not directly impact the budget process and would need to be discussed in a different forum. One such motion was Coun. John Paul Danko's (Ward 8) to "realign City funding" to organizations proven to be "good faith community partners." He said it was disappointing he didn't learn the motion was out of order sooner. At multiple points throughout the day, councillors expressed frustration with the budget process, which is different this year because of the Ontario government's expansion of strong mayor powers.
