Mobile Home Licensing Fees

The last time the mobile home licensing fees were updated was around 1989 (my notes are not with me). This past November Council passed a resolution updating the fees. The increase is not incremental, as we did for water, but is implemented immediately.

I have spoken in the past of continuous improvement and how it is important that Council demonstrate it is looking for OFIs (opportunities for improvement). The updating of the Mobile Home Licensing fees is an example of an OFI:

• we passed the changes in one meeting; and
• no feedback was gained from the affected parties.

The improvements would be to:

• pass it over two meetings;
• incremental increase; and
• call a public meeting.

Currently the Mobile Home owners do not pay property taxes. Property taxes are levied against the landowner and the land is taxed as undeveloped. It is my understanding that the owners/renters of the Mobile Homes pay a fee to the management of the development of $300 per month (this is hearsay and I haven't confirmed this).

The increase in licensing fees results, mostly, in a licensing fee that is less than the minimum tax for home owners in the other parts of Kindersley. The other option available is to have the Mobile Homes assessed by SAMA like the other homes in Kindersley. Should this be done it is reasonable, they would have to pay the Base Tax plus the Infrastructure Levy to expect that their property taxes would be higher than the licensing fees they currently are charged.