Public Voice Must Be Heard Regarding High Property Taxes in Town of Leamington

We, the undersigned, hereby petition Leamington Town Council to agree to hold a public town hall meeting at the earliest convenience in regards to the topics of Property Taxes, New Construction Development Costs and the direction and future of Leamington in general so in that the Public at Large have the opportunity to voice their feelings and opinions on these and other matters that concern every resident, business person, developer and investor in the Municipality of Leamington, Ontario. Leamington Residential and Farm Property tax rates are the HIGHESTof 24 comparable sized communities (populations between 20,000 – 40,000) in the Province of Ontario. The links provided on the informative website noted below illustrate the tax rates and population increase/decrease for the 24 comparable (by population) Municipalities. These high property taxes and high new residential development fees are starting to have a number of negative effects on our community as verified by the latest Canada Census: 1) They deter new residential construction starts 2) They deter existing families to remain in Leamington 3) They deter future investment in Leamington by developers and new industry 4) They deter any new residents to consider relocating to Leamington 5) They deter property values negatively and erode equity in properties We, the residents, business owners and investors as a whole must urge and remind the Mayor and Councilors of Leamington the importance of holding a public town hall meeting to discuss these concerns as it is vital to the growth, prosperity and future of Leamington. If you agree you are paying taxes over and above the services offered and utilized and/or feel the development fees to build a new home in Leamington are too high and want these questions answered in a public town hall forum, please sign the petition so the elected town officials can realize this is an area of peoples concern for the tax payers of Leamington. Please forward this petition to anyone you know that in concerned about high property tax rates in Leamington.  Visit: http://leamington-on.webs.com/ to review the statistical tables and other supporting documents.