The Town of Prescott is doing their part to make distribution of the municipal health unit levy more accurate.
Currently the municipal levy allocation for the Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit is based on population data provided by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC). MPAC surveys are not mandatory, which leads to less accurate results. The company acknowledges that “the most accurate municipal population numbers are provided by Statistics Canada based on the most recent census”.
Due to Ontario Regulation 498/97 and the Health Protection and Promotion Act municipalities have to agree to any change in the way the municipal health unit levy is distributed. Changing from the MPAC numbers to those provided by Statistics Canada would increase Prescott’s percentage of the population from 2.42% to 2.49%. This change would result in an increase of 3.08%, or $2,267, to the Town’s levy.
Despite the slight increase in the amount paid into the levy the council unanimously voted to pass the measure.