by Arthur Milnes
Northern News Services

FORT SIMPSON (Jan 09/98) - Village of Fort Simpson taxpayers received an early New Year's gift from village council -- another mill-rate freeze -- but some say this is being offset by increases to a variety of fees for village services.

"Our mill rate is staying the same for the fourth year in a row," said village Mayor Norm Prevost, shortly after council passed the budget Monday night.

Council is forecasting overall revenues of $4.2 million in 1998 with expenditures of roughly the same. At the end of the year, council expects the village to be running a small surplus.

At the end of three years, the village's $750,000 deficit should be eliminated -- even with a variety of capital projects, including main street construction -- completed.

Council has allocated about $15,000 to provide $200 tax rebates to 70 village homeowners who also reside in the homes they own.

However, fees for garbage services will be increasing. Residential charges will rise to $10 per month, from $6, commercial increases to $50 from $24 monthly and schools and institutions will be paying $250 monthly, up from a current charge of $48.

And business owners are facing an increase for their licenses. For example, a person running a business within a residential area will see their fees rise to $125 annually from a current figure of $50.

"The cost of licences were raised 150 per cent," village resident Candy Brown wrote in a letter to the xxxDrum. "It really isn't much but it will be to those 'Home Occupations' who sell Regal, Amway, Avon, crafts and the other businesses that do enhance their lives through their independent sales. People who operate these businesses work very hard to earn $125."

When asked about the licence fee increases, Prevost said the village's fees were simply too low in the past. And, he said the village is taking steps, through the fees and other measures, to encourage more commercial and retail business operations.

"We'd like to see more office space rented in the village and more downtown-type businesses," he said.