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AY, FEBRUARY 8, 1984, WHITBY FREE PRESS whitby y leart Vole of the County Town Put I Michael Ian Burgess, Pubisher - Managing Editor The only Whitby newspaper independently owned and operated by Whitby residents for Whitby residents. LU blished every Wednesday by M.B.M. Publishing and Photography Inc. Phone 668-6111 The Free Press Building, 131 Brock Street North, P.O. Box 206, Whitby, Ont. MICHAEL KNELL Community Editor CONWAY DOBBS Advertlslng Manager Second class Mail Registration No, 5351 Banning growth won't solve board's problems Putting a stop to our town's and region's growth wli definitely not be a solution to the Durham Board of Education's financial woes and, frankly, we're dismayed that a Whitby trustee would even put the motion forward. At next Monday's board meeting John Buchanan will introduce a motion that, if carried, wIll put a stop to residential growth. His intent ls admirable. As he has pointed out, the Ministry of Educatlon seems to be changing its policies towards the funding of new capital projects. If these policies are adopted the board will not be able to build new schools or renovate existing ones if it maintains its current building policy. Buchanan rightly fears that this situation would result in the board not being able to house the existing student population which Is already growing because of present growth. However, it would seem to su that growth ls the very thing that the board needs. New growth means a bigger assessment base which in turn produces even more revenue for the board to carry out its mandage, and helps reduce the inflationary tax spiral. Even putting the motion forward reminds us of the ancient Stoic philosophers advocating cutting off one's feet for the want of shoes. It also brings into doubf'the board's financial Brooklin stili practices. Long time readers of the Free Press know that we have long been critical of the board's financial practises as being too secretive and too unac- countable. We have also admitted that the board Is not completely In control of its own financial destiny and is subject to the whims of the Ministry of Education which provides almost 50 per cent of the board's money. While part of the blame should rest with the ministry, the board must also accept part of it. A few years ago, the board adopted a "pay-as- you-go" policy. On the positive side, this has meant that the board will be debt free by the year 1992. However, this policy has partially created this situation. The board will not issue debentures, that ls, it will not borrow money for capital projec- ts. Instead, It wants capital projects to be paid for in the year in which the work was done and this strikes us as ludiclous. Long range financlal planning Is a key element in the budgetary process of every local gover- nment, every senior government, every business large or small and every homeowner. For instance, the Town of Whitby does not finance sidewalk construction over a one year period. General Motors will not pay for the construction of a new facility in one year and a homeowner will not fully pay for his home in the year it was purchased. If we had to pay for our home in full in one year, very few of us would own our homes. Instead these purchases are made over time. Sure it costs more in the long run, but the Impact on the day-to-day cash flow Is minimized, the costs are spread over the useful life of the asset, and in the case of real estate the value keeps ap- preclating. So what the board is asking its taxpayers to do Is to finance the construction of a new school in one year when that facility will be used for decades to come. Those people who send their children to these schools in later years will not be asked to pay their share for its construction. Conversely, when the project la built and those tax dollars have been spent, the board does not lower its taxes the following year in compen- sation. As sure as the sun rises and sets, the board raises even more taxes. It seems as though we are on a treadmill that keeps going faster and there Is no end in sight. While we are confident that Board Chairman Ruth Lafarga is right and the motion will be defeated, the trustees should take this oppor- tunity to re-examine Its budgetary process in the light of current economic conditions. The board has a duty and an obligation to remember this and to adopt those policies which will leave it financially flexible and able to meet the challenges of the future. Putting a stop to the growth that the town has worked so hard to gain is not the answer however good its intentions. part of Whitby We were quite disturbed by a press release that we received from the Whitby Historical Society this week. The press release, which appears elsewhere in today's edition, was concerned with a project un- dertaken by the society to research the origins of the Lynde House, where the museum ls located. However, the release contained this sentence: "The research was done primarily by Neil Wick of Brooklin, north of Whitby." What concerns us is the phrase "north of Whitby." Is not Brooklin still a part of Whitby? Has it not been so since amalgamationtook place in the 1960's? Or has it recently been moved "north of Whitby" to Scugog? In our minds Brooklin is a vital (and legal) part of Whitby as is Ashburn, Myrtle and Myrtle Station and we do not think it appropriate that an organization as well respected as the Whitby Historical Society (or anybody else) should try to make that community an entity apart. Those who live in Brooklin have the same rights as those who live south of Rossland Road. We ail share everything that is right and wrong in this municipality, and we ail pay our taxes to the same governing body the Town of Whitby. Brooklin residents make valuable contributions to the entire town ail times of the year, as do Ash- burn, Myrtie, West Lynde, Otter Creek, and corridor area residents. The Brooklin Spring Fair, for example, ls one of the highlights of the Whitby scene and is enjoyed by residents of ail parts of the town (not to mention out of towners). Our civic leaders have been fighting for many years, with this local newspaper's support, for the development of Brooklin so that it will continue to be a vital part of our community. Brooklin is and should always be considered to be a valuable part of Whitby and for the historical society to even appear to try to make it separate and apart does no one Justice. After ail, the 'EX' or Harbourfront isn't south of Toronto is It?