Comment 108437

By RobF (registered) | Posted January 26, 2015 at 19:48:58 in reply to Comment 108393

You need to consider assessment per acre (or some equivalent). Our houses and lots are not equal. I live on a row of 7 houses that all are on roughly 24' by 105' lots. I believe a more common frontage in suburban Hamilton typically 50' and up.

That makes direct comparisons between the two less than straightforward. Two of our "inner city" houses may occupy the same frontage as the average suburban house. Of course, in my area frontages range from 15' to 35' (maybe 40', but these are rare). In suburban areas the frontages can be quite a bit larger too, while in some older areas may be somewhat below 50'.

You also have to consider uptake of services ... it depends on how many people live in each dwelling and how much demand they put on services/infrastructure (particularly schools and roads).

Furthermore you need to consider non-residential assessment, which are generally significant net contributors (pay more than what they cost).

In my area, Ward 2, we have a lot of non-residential assessment, so comparing our tax contribution to the city vs. Ancaster, Dundas, Waterdown, etc. would be foolish ... we'd win hands down. The question is what generates that assessment ... most non-residential assessment relates to demand or activity that isn't purely neighbourhood-related.

In short, it would be interesting to see assessment breakdowns by Ward. I think people would be surprised by the results.

Comment edited by RobF on 2015-01-26 19:50:03

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