This week’s council meeting started with a cheer for the current council by Nerys Poole, representing the Bowen Island Conservancy, for making time to discuss the Natural Areas Protection Tax Exemption Program (NAPTEC) yet again. Back in 2011, council approved (in principle) the program, which was set up and is administered by the Islands Trust. In 2013, Mayor Jack Adelaar stated his opposition to the program, saying it would cost the municipality money and affect Bowen’s tax base. On Monday, councilors reviewed the program and its feasibility on Bowen yet again, opening up the possibility for implementing it here.
The Islands Trust launched NAPTEC in 2005 in response to the fact that long-time land owners seemed to be subdividing, developing or logging their properties in order to keep up with the high taxes fuelled by the increasing value of their land. If someone decides to conserve a portion of his or her land through the program, that protected land is eligible for a 65% reduction in taxes.
“It was designed in the same vein as farm status, whereby, the way you are using your property is deemed a public benefit, so you are given a tax break,” says Kate Emmings, with the Islands Trust. “The idea is also to protect rare and sensitive ecosystems, as well as rare species. A property with unique geological features or fresh water features might also be worthy of protection. If someone applies to conserve their land through NAPTEC, a representative from Islands Trust will come take a look and write a report which will be reviewed by the Islands Trust Council who will then decide if the property meets the criteria.”
Emmings says that land owners will see the greatest benefits of this program if their property has a high assessed value, and if they put in a significant portion of their land into conservation.
“Unless there is something ecologically significant on the property, we are looking for a minimum of 2 hectares (roughly 5 acres),” says Emmings. “We have also seen people put as much as 20 hectares into conservation.”
In 2013, the Islands Trust and Metro Vancouver drafted a plan to activate the program on the islands that fall within the Metro Vancouver’s jurisdiction. Since then, both Bowyer Island and Passage Island have activated the program, and Bowen remains the only island within the Islands Trust that does not have NAPTEC.
According to a municipal staff report dated August 31, 2012, the average Bowen Island property (valued at $519,000) would pay $1.66 extra in property taxes per NAPTEC covenant and that “the financial implications of NAPTEC will be more significant on Bowen Island than in other Islands Trust areas.”
Mayor Skeels says that he brought the issue of NAPTEC forward this week as he was reminded of it by a post on the Bowen Island Forum, and was told that a simple resolution by council could see the program up and running on Bowen.
“I wanted to make the point that as far as a personal cost to taxpayers, it is very very low,” said Skeels in council.
Councillor Michael Kaile expressed concern about the shifting of burden from the land owner who is conserving land to everyone else.
“The amounts may be small,” said Kaile, “But we as a community are picking up the slack. And if this is going to happen, it needs to be administered. Who takes care of those costs?”
In the end of the conversation, council agreed to have a representative from Islands Trust come to Bowen to answer questions about NAPTEC. Mayor Skeels says he sees this visit as an opportunity to learn more about what the Trust gives to Bowen in return for the tax dollars (roughly $70 per household) that we send to Islands Trust.
