The Town of Princeton has no uniform policy when it comes to how it leases the property it owns.
According to Mayor Frank Armitage 鈥渋t鈥檚 fair to say鈥� that different arrangements have been made by various past councils regarding property the town acquires either through purchase or tax arrears.
Last week, the Princeton Crisis Assistance Society petitioned council for a reduction in rent. While there is no lease on file for the municipally-owned property at 111 Vermilion Avenue, that group has paid between $452.25 and $448.25 per month for the building that has housed its thrift store since 2007.
In 2017, approximately 40 per cent of the thrift store鈥檚 revenue was returned to the town in rent.
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Following that meeting The Spotlight, using the Freedom of Information Act, obtained a copy of the town鈥檚 lease with the Similkameen Masonic Lodge, located at 187 Vermillion Avenue.
The masons recently renewed their lease - first approved by council in 2012 - in the amount of $10 for a five-year period. The original lease allowed for the renewal on notice, not requiring the signing of a new document.
The lease states the lodge will pay for maintenance, utilities and liability insurance related to the property, and also sets out that the town will collect property taxes on the lot and building, under section 229 of the Community Charter 鈥渦nless council of the town is authorized to and chooses, in its sole discretion, to exempt the property from taxation.鈥�
According to documents, the Masonic Lodge has received a tax exemption since at least 2014.
Armitage, who is a member of the lodge, was not on council when the original deal was struck.
He said the arrangement was explained to him as 鈥渃onsideration鈥� given to the town when the building was sold.
鈥淚 understand it was negotiations between the town, when they took that building, because of the price they received for that location.鈥�
He added the yearly approval of the tax exemption bylaw does not present a conflict of interest as other religious groups - for example churches - receive the same consideration.
Relating to the request from the Crisis Assistance Society - which runs the local Christmas hamper campaign and provides emergency funds, food and shelter for people in need - Armitage said 鈥渨e are definetly looking into that鈥�.
Tuesday The Spotlight made further requests under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. The request are for a disclosure of the sale price of the lodge, a list of all municipally owned property that is occupied by a third party and the associated rental agreements.
In an interview with The Spotlight, Masonic Lodge secretary Graham Gould stressed 鈥渢he town pays absolutely nothing towards the operations for the building.鈥�
He declined to disclose the amount the municipality paid for the building in 2002 but called it 鈥渁 sizeable amount.鈥�
Gould said: 鈥淭he reason the town got it was because the town pretty well owns that block, and when we were deciding that we were going to sell we approached them and they took the offer.鈥�
The museum, the fire hall and the municipal hall are all located in the same area.
The masons meet in the building four times a year.
According to Gould the lodge is not as active as it once was, because of an aging and declining membership.
The building was originally put up for sale because the lodge could not afford the upkeep, he said, and the lodge has not paid taxes on it since it was sold.
鈥淲e pay the water and the sewer and we pay insurance for the building and we pay the light and heat鈥hy would we sell the building to them if we had to pay property taxes?鈥�
The lodge used to sponsor bursaries and make other community donations, said Gould, but can no longer afford to do so.
There are 30 members.
鈥淲e are not able to do an awful lot. What we do through the masons is in our dues that we pay annually to the Grand Lodge.鈥�
Those dues are used exclusively to fund a program called Cancer Car, which provides free rides to Okanagan residents who must travel to Penticton or 91大黄鸭 for cancer treatments.
Unfortunately, he said, that program does not extend its services as far as Princeton, because of the distances involved.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 come our way and we are upset about that,鈥� he said.
Orv Robson, a Summerland mason, said it鈥檚 not uncommon for lodges to sell buildings and lease them back for nominal amounts.
鈥淸In Summerland] we had an arrangement with the Presbyterian Church and we sold our lodge to them and we had free rent for 15 years鈥e served out our term with them there and after 15 years they moved on.鈥�
Robson described the Masons as 鈥渁 brotherhood, and we are inclined to work in the community and outside the community in a way that is in keeping with the morals and beliefs of the bible.鈥�
He said the lodges incorporate 鈥渧arious rituals,鈥� and women are not permitted to join.
鈥淚f someone asks me 鈥榓re you a mason?鈥� I am proud to say I am a mason. We are known as a secret society. I don鈥檛 know what is secret about us. Nothing would be further from the truth.鈥�
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