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1987 TOWN TAXES Increase won't be doub By MIKE JOHNSTON The Town of Whitby is looking at a $15-million operating bugdet for 1987 says councillor Gerry Emm, chairman of the treasury depar- tment. Emm would not disclose what the increase in taxes will be this year. He did say, however, that the in- crease will be "much below a double digit." While insisting that he is "un- comfortable" with the final figures, he said "it has come in range of Town to joinin regional recycling Whitb will participate in the regional ecycling program. Council approved the operations committee recommendation Mon- day and will now enter into an agreement with Durham Recycling Centre inc.' for the collection of recyclable materials in town. Council has also asked to be kept informed of how much material is collected, the cost of operating the recycling facility and the total an- nual deficit. >le digit what taxpayers should be asked to support." This year's budget process is "slow," he said. "That is mainly because of the growth in town. There has been a terrifie demand on staff this year, from planning to recreation." Due to this, Emm said each department head was asked to report to administrator Bill Wallace on how their departments are handling the growth. The ad- ministrator then spent a lot of hours analyzing those reports, said Emm. He acknowledged that one method to handle the growth was to hire more staff. - Another demand which has been made on the town this year involves sewers. "We have to address those problems and start a program this year," says Mayor Bob Attersley. "It is going to be costly and that has held up the budget process," he added. The Town was recently presented with a report from Totten Sims Hubicki Associates, estimating storm sewer repairs in both Brooklin and Whitby would cost $1 million. Now that both reports are in, Emm said council can get on with the job of deciding "what goes in and what comes out." Public meetings on the budget will be held next Wednesday and Thursday at 7 p.m. at the municipal building. Some of the areas in which the Town has been asked to increase service'include garbage collection, road maintenance and recreation. Last year Whitby council ap- proved a 7.9 per cent tax increase. Give him a hand CRAIG MANSON, a grade 6 student at E.A. Fairman, shows off his science project, 'Simple Motor. Craig-put a motor inside this plastic hand, creating a somewhat bizarre effect. The science fair was held at the school last Thur- sdaynight. BUDGET REACTION: Wait for tax reform By MIKE JOHNSTON Reaction in Whitby to Finance Minister Michael Wilson's budget last week seems to be 'wait until this spring.' While the budget itself contained no surprises for those contacted by The Free Press, they unanimously agreed that next spring would be the time that the Conservative government will be playing their trump card. "We're really waiting for the spring and tax reform," says Crystal Glaspell, president of the Whitby Chamber of Commerce. SEE PAGE 14 k An. DAVID HEPBURN, Gr. 2 student at Immanuel Christian School, inside the "Immanuel Centre" shopping mall, a project of the Gr. 2-3 class. Free Press photo identity problem Immanuel Christian School on Rossland Rd. W. wants to correct an identity problem. "We have become known as the Dutch school, and it's about time to set the record straight," says George Witvoet, whose five children have attended the school he helped to start 25 years ago. "We have to let people know what we are about and what we are not about." He says the school offers "God- centred education" for all denominations, not just for the Reformist psersuasion. It's not parochial he says, but rather for any family seeking a Christian- based educationsl alternative to the public system. Witvoet says the first students at SEEPAGE2 t I ~','., - NEWLAYOUT Bill Swan Pg. 5 Editorial & Letters pg. 6 "The Other Side of the Fence" & A Matter of Opinion pg. 7 Cartoons pg. 6 & 7 1