Financial Costs to Taxpayers

    • Road repairs and maintenance: increased cost of road repairs and maintenance
    • Reduced property values: decrease in surrounding property values
    • Reduced tax base:
      • lowered municipal tax base (e.g. property owners in the area can request a reduction in assessment values)
      • licenced aggregate lands in communities are frequently assessed and taxed at low rates
      • loss of municipal assessment when aggregate operations cease (man-made lakes not taxable)
    • Municipal costs: additional cost to municipalities for professional consulting fees to ensure compliance by pit/quarry operators
    • Insurance and liability: increased liability, indemnification issues and insurance costs may eventually be born by taxpayers
    • Emergencies: cost of environmental emergencies and disasters should they occur
    • Time: disproportionate amount of time expended by councillors and municipal staff dealing with aggregate issues
    • Insufficient annual tonnage fees: reimbursement to the local municipal government(s) is a negligible financial benefit to the local community (less than 10 cents per tonne)

Taken with permission from the Information Guide For Citizens produced by Gravel Watch Ontario