The war of words over campgrounds is heating up in the townships of Head, Clara & Maria.
Former deputy mayor Ernie Villeneuve wrote to township council in March warning that visitors with seasonal trailers in HCM represent up to 400 extra people “using our roads, municipal docks, garbage and recycling facilities,” while “through no fault of their own” they “pay nothing to the municipality for these privileges.”
“This means that we as taxpayers are subsidizing their stays and paying for their opportunities to play, relax and enjoy.”
Villeneuve urged council to introduce a $200 annual trailer licence fee and to double the $1 per bag fee for garbage from trailer sites, while also launching a review to determine “whether further increases for those who do not contribute to the municipal tax base is warranted.”
“It is about time the municipality collects a user fee from those who enjoy our natural playground,” he said.
Responding to Villeneuve’s letter this month, however, former township councillor and owner of two local campgrounds, Brent Allen, said reading Villeneuve’s comments in March, “I was beside myself of the inaccuracies of his facts.”
“Maybe a toll booth at the beginning of our municipality is the best way for everyone to pay their ‘fair share’”…
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