Fifty local gravel pits owe millions of dollars in back taxes after an appeal by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and local gravel pit owners was rejected.

The appeal of the previous assessment of the gravel pit properties was denied, upholding the previous decision by the Assessment Review Board, said County of Wellington treasurer Ken DeHart.

The combined back taxes owed by all 50 local gravel pits will be in the low millions of dollars, DeHart confirmed.

“On Feb. 3, 2023 the Divisional Court released their decision on MPAC and the gravel owner’s appeal.  The Divisional Court ruled in the County’s favour.  They upheld the ARB’s decision, dismissed the appeal and awarded costs to the County ($15K),” DeHart wrote in an email.

“MPAC and the gravel pit owners appealed the Assessment Review Board’s (ARB) decision (from 2021) to the Ontario Divisional Court,” DeHart wrote.

MPAC and the owners had appealed the decision on the property value of gravel pits. 

Those properties were valued at $9,200 per acre and the board’s decision changed that to $15,080 per acre.

The board ordered the six aggregate operations, acting as representatives of the local industry, be reassessed from 2017 to 2020. 

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