Here you will find information related to Municipal Drains Billing and Payments.
Municipal Drains Billing & Payments
Costs Associated with Construction and Maintenance
All lands, roads and utilities that are within the watershed of a municipal drain are responsible for the costs of the maintenance of that drain. The cost to each property owner will differ based on the assessment schedule as set out in the Engineer’s Report for each Municipal Drain
Typically costs for municipal drain maintenance will be assessed once all costs are completed and applicable
grants have been received. For example:
The Lindsay drain is maintained in the fall of 2010. Once all costs are known, the municipality will apply for grant funding from the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Following receipt of the grant the municipality will pass a levying by-law and assess the costs according to the schedule set out in the Engineers report for the Lindsay drain. Final costs will be added to the applicable property owner’s taxes in 2012, due in four equal installments.
This example is typical moving forward however there is a backlog of completed maintenance projects and invoices may be issued for prior work.
OMAFRA Grant
- The Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) provides a grant for municipal drains under the Agricultural Drainage Infrastructure Program
- The grant is up-to 1/3 of the cost of construction and maintenance for qualifying lands
- Qualifying lands must be assessed on the property taxes as: farmland or managed forest
- For more information on property taxes and land class change visit Property Taxes
- The municipality applies for the grant on behalf of the landowners
- The grant covers part of the cost, the remaining balance is billed to the landowners
Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) Contact
- Please contact OMAFRA regarding your property’s assessment
http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/index.html
Toll Free: 1-877-424-1300
E-mail: ag.info.omafra@ontario.ca
How invoicing works
- The costs of maintenance are assessed to the property, not the property owner.
- The property continues to benefit from the maintenance of the municipal drain regardless of who the owners of the property are.
- The invoice is directed to the owners of the property at the time of billing out the final costs.
Payments
- Haldimand County will send property owners a notice for their assessed cost of the construction/maintenance
- Please note assessed amounts less than $10 will be added to the owner’s property tax account without a letter notification
- Any amounts owing will be added to the property owner’s tax account
- Property tax accounts are paid 4 times throughout the year, visit Property Taxes page for more information
- For amounts over $500 or more the property owners have an option (within 30 days) to sign up for a 5 year payment plan at an interest rate set by Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs for their Tile Drainage Loan Program
Maintenance on a section of the drain
The County has established a regular maintenance program where each drain will have the major maintenance on a 10 year cycle (mechanical brushing, bottom clean-out leveling of spoil), the drainage superintendent can advise you of the year in which maintenance is scheduled on that particular drain.
If the maintenance is required due to beaver dam removals or bank wash-outs, culvert collapses or specific blockages, contact the Drainage Superintendent for Haldimand County at engineering@haldimandcounty.on.ca and arrangements will be made for the minor works to be completed.
If you do not want to be part of the drain anymore
- Under Section 84, of the Drainage Act, a drain can be abandoned, in whole or in part, by petition
- The petition to request abandonment of an area must be submitted to Haldimand County Council
- In order for the petition to be considered it must be representative of and supported by the signatures of 75% of the landowners in the benefit property area
- The petition should include the printed names and signatures of each property owner followed by the
roll number, lot number and concession number
Questions about Drain Billing & Payments? Please contact propertytaxes@haldimandcounty.on.ca
For all other inquiries please contact engineering@haldimandcounty.on.ca