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6 Friday, February 16, 2018 brooklintowncrier.com Last Monday night, the Operations Committee had a report about property sign numbers. I suspect this will pass without fanfare next Monday at council given the tone of our conversations this past week. In it are guidelines for residents about the size, shape, colour etc. of their house numbers. This isn't something we're going to be heavy hitting with as it's more for community safety than anything. The crux of it is that all house numbers need to be legible for emergency services. So those with script-like fonts with numbers written out on the front of your garage should consider ensuring the house number is also visible numerically. Additionally, the report addresses the long overdue 9-1-1 signs for our rural areas. Yes, finally. Our rural areas, excluding the little hamlets, will soon have those obvious blue 9-1-1 signs you see in other municipalities. The Budget In addition to our agenda that night, we also held the public meeting portion of the budget. It was well attended (by staff), ironic given it's easily one of the hottest topics at the door during an election. I suspect it will be again this year as candidates start their journeys in May. This year's budget is what we call an election year budget. You can read it at whitby.ca/budget. What you will see is significant investment into infrastructure for our future growth. When your tax bill arrives, it will say Town of Whitby on the envelope as the Town collects the taxes. But what isn't always clear is that 53% of the tax bill goes to the Region and another 14% to Education. The Town retains 33%. We also have other revenue sources, such as user fees and transfers (gas tax being one). The Town operates on a budget of $124.4 million. Of that, the top three expenses (in thousands) are Roads ($467), Fire ($445) and Facilities, Parks and Trails. ($277). Of note for our ward is on page 248: Brooklin Indoor Recreation Facility, $45.8M (2019-2022). I wish I could share more on this. But for now, you know the budget and the timeline. I hope to have something to share on this soon. Page 252 shows four new local parks and six new district parks at $13.2M (this will also include some West Whitby parks). Our Brooklin Secondary Plan will show you the areas these parks are earmarked for. This year, we are making significant investment in things that will be invisible to many. It's the cost of doing business. Our Service Delivery Review (SDR) indicated the serious need for investments in digitization services at the Town. So we are doing it. With it will come easier access and transparency. The Corporate IT Strategy is also being worked on and is simply part of our evolution. I am always available to answer questions on the budget. Email me anytime. The overall tax increase is 0.98%. February 22nd is budget night. Our Councillor's Report by Rhonda Mulcahy North Ward Councillor, Town of Whitby mulcahyr@whitby.ca The 4-1-1 on the 9-1-1 During its 10th Annual Pumpkin Giveaway last year, Bryson Insurance raised $7,000 for local charities. In the photo, the group presents a $2,000 cheque to Stefanie Molica of Autism Ontario - Durham Region. Monies raised will support sending kids to camp including Nova's Ark Page and WindReach Farm, both in Whitby. Another $5,000 was donated to Grandview Children's Centre to support the development of its new location in Ajax. Pictured from left to right: John Bryson, Rosemary Astley, Rafay Saeed, James Turner, Rose Kelman, Scott Bryson, Tobi McLeod, Dennis Downey, Stefanie Molica, Carly Kurysh, Tracy Makris, George Ciobanu, Kyle Paterson Bryson Donates To Charities