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www.gregmonforton.com Volume 3, Issue 45
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Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Are our taxes unreasonably high?
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By Bill Chaplin,
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Municipal Correspondent
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A report presented to Council Monday, December 10 attempted to assist Leamington Council’s understanding of one part of the municipal tax dilemma. On the one hand, our taxes are high. When compared to what a home of similar value in Kingsville would be charged, it seems that the Leamington resident pays too much. On the other hand, when the efficiency and effectiveness of tax dollar spending is compared, Leamington’s spending is easily on a par with Kingsville — money is not being ‘wasted’. The report from Leamington CAO Bill Marck points to a critical aspect of the problem. It is called our Assessment Base. In simplest terms, taxes are charged based on what the residence is worth. This is called Current Value Assessment, and Leamington’s is low. Leamington CVA (per capita) is $82,785; that of Kingsville is $97,683; Tecumseh’s is $104,572. If our municipal tax rate is 1¢/$1000 CVA, we generate 82¢ per person in taxes while (at the same tax rate) Kingsville would generate 98¢ and Tecumseh would get $1.05. Leamington also has a weighted CVA that more accurately reflects what the assessment generates. When weighted, Leamington’s CVA drops to $74,501. Kingsville experiences the same 10% drop to $87,914 while Tecumseh’s actually rises to $111,573! Leamington’s much more modestly valued housing stock would only generate 74½¢ compared to Kingsville’s 88¢ (Continued on Page 3)
Louise Vermeiren displays “Breaking Time,” a painting she completed about two years ago. The painting was of a snapshot of a group of children eating Timbits taken by her husband Ron Vermeiren in Hamilton.
Ron Vermeiren straightens a print of Stewart’s Drive-In, one of his latest paintings, during the opening of a gallery at the Leamington Arts Centre Friday, Dec. 7.
By Bryan Jessop You can take the artist out of Essex County, but you can’t take Essex County out of the artist. Ron Vermeiren and his wife Louise Vermeiren officially opened their exhibit at the Leamington Arts Centre’s Christmas Show on Friday, Dec. 5. A collection of 36 works — 18 by each artist — have been on display at the LAC since Nov. 28, where they will remain until Dec. 22. Louise, originally from Chicoutimi, Que., has been pursuing her artistic talents seriously for the past 10 years. Ron, born in Kingsville in 1946, has featured his works at Windsor’s Art In The Park for each of the past 33 years. Together, the husband-and-wife duo restored and touched up the Hillman Marsh Visitor Centre mural that features a 14-foot tall Great Blue Heron. The restoration, which included several hours of sanding with a belt sander, was about 90 per cent complete by the winter of last year, when the Vermeirens had to stop because of chilly temperatures. They resumed and completed the project in the spring of this year, using a semi
truck-grade fine enamel, marine quality paint. The roughly 30-year-old mural had been repainted once before, but years of harsh winter weather caused the paint to peel severely. Filler was also used to touch up rotting sections of wood. The original mural, and interior of the Hillman Marsh Visitor Centre’s upper floor, was painted by Wheatleyborn artist Walter Rushton in the summer of 2000. Rushton is also known for creating the exterior patterns painted on the exteriors of all the Famous Players movie theatres across Canada. Ron’s paintings over the years include “Memories,” depicting a scene with parked cars at the former A&W drivein restaurant just west of Leamington. Completed about 10 years ago, the 390 limited-edition prints of Memories were snatched up quickly. “They sold out in no time,” Ron explained. “It was something a lot of people in the area had great memories of.” (Continued on Page 2)
Vermeiren returns to Essex County for gallery exhibit