The new survey on the City of Steinbach's website asks city residents several questions about the proposed Performing Arts Centre. Some of those questions have stirred up more questions by tax payers.

One question asks, "Based on a home valued at $250,000 taxpayers currently contribute approximately $100 annually towards the Aquatic Centre. If a new Performing Arts Centre is built what would you be comfortable in paying in additional property taxes to support it's operation?"

The proposed plan would see an estimated $75.94 in property tax impact yearly, based on a home valued at $250,000. That's according to the City of Steinbach's Proposed Performing Arts Centre estimated projections, found on their website. http://www.steinbach.ca/city-hall/city-planning/recreation-and-cultural-facilities/

The City's Director of Finance, Brian Hrehirchuk says the T.G. Smith Centre and Aquatic Centre are subsidized by tax payers dollars. “For all of these facilities, there are revenues but they don't fully offset the cost to run the facility. There are increases to the tax rate that may need to happen to subsidize that depending on their usage. If the usage goes up, that reduces what the tax payer has to pay, the more it's used and the more we make from user fees, less has to be funded by tax payers.”

For the Arena, Hrehirchuk says, “The contribution based on an assessment value of $250,000 on a house would be about $25 per year and a good estimate would be $90-$95 a year for the Aquatic Centre.”

Hrehirchuk says, “Most facilities are subsidized otherwise their rates for user groups to use them would be way too high, so I would say most if not all communities would subsidize that.”

According to the City's Survey, the City of Steinbach has committed to pay for 50% of the Centre's construction costs to a maximum of $7.5 million. The rest of the money to construct the Centre is planned to come from other levels of government and private donations from the community.  

He adds, “We have an interim operating budget that's approved a month or two before the budget officially gets approved, but it will be going to the February 16 council meeting. To approve it in principle once we get the final numbers from the School Division and the Province for what the school tax will have to be. It goes back to council to get officially approved, and it's usually April before we get those numbers from the Province and School Board.”

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