Levy Petition

Levy Petition Notice

The BNHA Board has been in touch with the city about the next steps in the Special Services Area Levy (SSAL) process, which involves a petition of local households. 

We are asking neighbours who support the SSAL to sign the levy petition.

How to support the levy petition  ✅

You can show your support for the levy by completing the Beechwood North levy petition form: 

The printed form can be scanned and returned by email to our Executive Team. Alternatively, your signed copy can be dropped off in the porch mailbox of our membership coordinator at 409 Stillmeadow Circle. Contact our team to arrange a form drop-off and/or pickup.

We are asking neighbours who support the implementation of the SSAL to sign the levy petition.

Levy Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is the Special Services Area Levy (SSAL)?

The Special Services Area Levy (SSAL) policy was developed by the City of Waterloo to provide a stable funding source for homes associations delivering recreational services at neighbourhood-owned facilities. 

The SSAL guarantees facility usage for the benefit of local members and their families. The original 164 homes that formed the BNHA membership would be grouped into the SSAL.

If the levy were approved, the City would collect the annual payment from member households. The SSAL can be terminated by either the association or the City with a year’s notice.

How would the annual payment be set?

The annual budget would be prepared by the Board and shared for approval by BNHA members at each Annual General Meeting. The budget would also require City approval. The City would add a line to the property tax bill for the amount of payment with a 1% admin fee.

Note the BNHA Bylaws require that annual costs do not exceed expected revenue unless specially approved by local members, ensuring that any major changes to the fee would require member approval at the AGM.

What share of households are required for the levy petition?

At least 66% of Beechwood North property owners (109 of 164) must respond in support of the SSAL in the petition form. Each property can count only once towards the 66% of positive support required.

What is the SSAL timeline?

The full SSAL process will take nearly 12 months with everything required to be completed by November 1st, 2025 (ahead of the 2026 municipal election year):

The levy would go into place for the 2026 season.

I don’t use the pool / tennis courts (anymore), why should I continue to pay?

Neighbours benefit from the value that the facilities provide, both to the community and to individual property values. Realtors selling properties in Beechwood have confirmed that our facilities are a major selling point, helping to generate higher resale prices.

Which associations have adopted the SSAL?

Five neighbourhood associations have adopted the levy: Beechwood II (Old Post Crossing), Beechwood South (near Centennial Public School), Beechwood West I, Beechwood West II, and Glasgow II. Upper Beechwood I is currently pursuing the levy ahead of their covenant expiry in 2027. Three other associations have a binding covenant where all households are required to fund the facilities.

Only 3 of the 10 Beechwood associations have a 'voluntary' membership model, with BNHA having the smallest catchment area: Beechwood Park (375 local households), Upper Beechwood II (237 local households), and Beechwood North (164 local households).

Can we have Associate members (based outside of the neighbourhood) under the levy?

Associate members are not permitted by the under the city's SSAL policy. 

However, the city has stated that homes associations have the opportunity to generate revenue from outside the membership and Upper Beechwood I has explored with the city the option of offering a limited number of seasonal facility guest passes. We will need to confirm with the City if a similar arrangement will be allowed for BNHA under the levy.

Can we sell the facility property to a developer, or to the city?

A developer would surely remove the pool and tennis courts and build one or more multi-unit apartment buildings. The city has expressed no interest in purchasing the facilities. If the city were to operate the facilities as a public pool and tennis courts, it would bring significant outside traffic to our neighbourhood.

Can we amalgamate with another pool?

We have connected with the executive team at Bridlegate. Neither association would be able to reinvest profits from a property sale back into an improved financial situation.

BNHA has partnered with several Beechwood associations over the past few years to provide events open to all members, with costs shared amongst the associations. This has included events with Bridlegate, Craigleith, and Beechwood Park.

A levy vote failed for BNHA in 2017. Why try again?

Our neighbourhood makeup has changed significantly in the past 7+ years. New families have moved into our area and we've heard from most that the facilities were important in their decision to move here. 

We have a brand-new Board in place with a renewed energy to guarantee the future of our neighbourhood-owned facilities. 

The financial future of the facilities remain in question despite record-high revenues under the current Executive board's leadership. Not enough money is being put away to fund future facility repairs and updates. Our cash reserves remain significantly lower than other Beechwood associations. Despite record-high revenues in 2023, only a modest amount of money ($2k) could be put aside for future capital expenses as the costs to run the facilities have increased with inflation and the increased minimum wage in Ontario.

Important repairs and updates to the facilities have been delayed without stable funding over the past decade. With a 50 year-old facility, major capital updates are needed in the coming years to the pool and tennis courts. We cannot simply rely on volunteer touch-ups or band-aid solutions forever. 

The Board believes the levy is the only long-term way to guarantee the ongoing survival and success of our neighbourhood-owned facilities.

Can't the association continue to operate the way it has been?

Major repairs and refurbishments are required for our 50+ year-old facilities that we will not have the funds to cover; whether using current savings or borrowing against our association's future. 

Other homes associations have already reached the point where a full pool refurbishment is needed, such as nearby Craigleith Homes Association. We need to be putting away funds for our own expected pool/tennis court repair/refurbishment required over the next several years. 

The Board is also not simply relying on the levy as our only option. The Board put forward two long-term funding options that were approved by our members at our Annual General Meeting in February 2024, both of which we are executing on: 

The funds received in 2024 from increasing our Associate member base will be used for future capital updates. This revenue is not guaranteed moving forward, however, as we worked through our remaining Associate member waitlist in 2024. 

You can find our full presentation of potential Long-Term Funding Options presented at the 2024 AGM linked here.

What if I still have questions or concerns?

Executive members are happy to stop by and answer any questions as part of the door-to-door canvassing in Fall 2024. Please feel free to reach out to our Executive team at any time at: executive@beechwoodnorth.com