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Editorial Davis misses the point Mike Davis needs a lesson on timing and empathy. The Ward 3 Councillor totally missed the point when he asked for an up-front costing of the room to be donated by the Town for use by the 137 employees affected by the planned closure of Curwood Packaging. This was an in-kind donation by the Town that would be used as a Job Adjustment Action Centre. There the employees-- many who have been with Curwood for more than 30 years and have never had another job-- would get a myriad of services including job search assistance and counseling. While certainly Davis's intention was to look after the taxpayers' dollars-- and he can't be faulted for that-- this was neither the time nor the situation to do it. His action, instead, is perceived as unthinking and uncaring about the plight of 137 families in our community. As Mayor Rick Bonnette says, "their lives have been turned upside down." To donate a barely-used arena room that generates little cash for the Town so that 137 people and their families can put their lives back in order is a small price to pay. It's something no taxpayer should begrudge. Taxpayers who do, need to remember that these are 137 individuals and their families, who will not be spending as many dollars as usual in local food stores, restaurants or other retail businesses. They won't be donating to local causes nor will they have the time to volunteer for minor sports groups or activities in this community. "This is the Town coming forward looking after the little guy right here in our community who needs some help and that's why we came forward with this," said Bonnette. Davis failed to grasp that. We wonder why. Letters to the editor.... `Development charges cat' let out of bag Dear editor, The February 3 Independent & Free Press story on the Town's budget let the cat out of the bag. Those who didn't follow it over Library tax impact not 5% Dear editor, The Halton Hills Public Library Board is very thankful to Town council for the $8 million in the capital forecast to fund a larger, more modern library designed to meet the needs of Georgetown and the surrounding area. It is estimated that this $8M will build a library of 20,000 sq. feet, to be opened in 2010. Unfortunately, there appears to be some confusion about the actual tax impact of this project. In your front page article of February 10, the opening statement indicated that a new library for Georgetown "means tax increases of about 5 per cent for the next five years". In fact, as later pointed out in the article, the new Georgetown library accounts for only a 1 per cent increase in 2009, and a 1.6 per cent increase in 2010. This project is not responsible for the entire 5 per cent increase over five years. The Board and staff of Halton Hills Public Library welcome feedback about a new library branch for Georgetown. Residents should feel free to submit any comments or questions in person, via fax 905-873-6118 or through the library's website at www.library.hhpl.on.ca. Click on "Contact Us/Ask Us". Jay Jackson, chair, Halton Hills Public Library Board to page 3 missed an important fact. Councillor Bob Inglis raised the issue and Treasurer Ed DeSousa confirmed it: new development is a net drain on our finances. As a taxpayer I have often wondered if we were losing as we added more subdivisions. I have even sat through presentations by developers who said with the Town needing more services that 1,000 additional acres should be included in the urban boundary so that development charges could bail us out financially. Fortunately, our council was too sharp to fall for that story. `"It's a known fact in the municipal world that development does not pay for development," agreed DeSousa. DeSousa also noted that assessment growth does not cover even all the base budget costs.' Let's tuck that little fact away for the next time we have someone trying to push a subdivision that is not truly needed. Barbara Halsall, Georgetown Be nice, clear your ice, reader asks Dear editor, My husband and I have an old dog who likes his walks four times a day whether the weather is fair or foul. What really bugs us are the kindly neighbors who don't clear their sidewalks. Come on folks, we have had no winter to talk of this year and now this deep freeze makes it nearly impossible to walk safely along the sidewalks. Instead of going in and closing the door and thinking these things don't matter, think instead of people or dogs falling and really hurting themselves. This has happened twice last week to us and our dog. Five 10 minutes at the most is all it would take to clear the sidewalks. Please be more considerate of those around you and help out and clear the sidewalks and make Georgetown a safer place to walk. Jennifer Jackson, Georgetown