The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

8 THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2011 Township Digest ROMA lobby As chair of ROMA ­ the Rural Ontario Municipalities Association ­ Chris White, also Mayor of Guelph/Eramosa, and Wellington County Warden, will introduce Premier Dalton McGuinty at the opening of the ROMA/Good Roads annual convention in Toronto on Monday. White said in faceto-face meetings with Ministers and senior staff, ROMA/OGRA will lobby hard for sustainable funding, hospital funding, improved communication, transportation and services for seniors. Not so scary "Nobody wants to increase taxes, but it [a 10.9 per cent tax hike] looks scarier than it is," Guelph/Eramosa Township Mayor Chris White said on Friday, commenting on a budget starting point of staff. White noted that because Township taxes make up only 19 per cent of the total property tax bill, a five per cent increase locally could mean a three per cent hike for Township County and education taxes. "Say we approve five (per cent increase). Nineteen per cent of the tax bill would increase by five (per cent) and Wellington's 52 per cent share would increase by 2.7 (per cent), and I think education taxes are frozen, so it could work out to a three per cent tax increase," White said. Township councillors and staff will continue budget debates in early March. Police Beat Assault charge A 17-year-old Erin male was arrested and charged with assault, and failing to comply with a probation order, following a disturbance in Hillsburgh at 1:30 a.m. on Sunday. Police reported that a 48-yearold man was assaulted, but did not say if he was injured. The accused was held for bail. Budget trim time Can Guelph/Eramosa Township councillors and staff trim more than halfa-million dollars off of its budget, or will taxpayers face a double-digit tax hike this year? The first budget figures for Council recently included a 10.9 per cent tax hike, and various options to bring the increase down to five per cent were offered for investigation. Mayor Chris White said citizens have "property tax fatigue," and councillors and staff are going through the budgets with fine-tooth combs, looking for savings. "The budget is pretty much bare bones now... we were going to put in some shelving to help the Lionesses at Rockmosa, which was about five grand, and we can't do that now. We're at that level," White said on Friday. For rookie Councillor Corey Woods, the budget decisions could mean life or death, like the $135,000 approved for new breathing apparatus. "You can't say to the DODGE BALL DAY: Participants at the annual Rockwood Naturopathic Clinic Dodge Ball tournament had a lot of fun, and raised $1,050 for Parkinson's and ALS research on Sunday. ­ Submitted photo 175 Alma Street, Rockwood 6 Thompson Crescent, Erin FREE Learn the key characteristics of worrying, two approaches proven to decrease worrying and the most common worries. 519-833-7576 Join us for the following upcoming health promotion events! Wednesday, March 2 · 7 - 9p.m., Rockwood. Tuesday, March 29 · 7-9 p.m., Erin ext.341 www.ewfht.ca STOP WORRYING DIABETES PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT This is for you if you have Wednesday, March 30 · 6:30 - 8:30p.m., Rockwood pre-diabetes, are at risk of Wednesday, March 23, 6:30 - 8:30p.m., Erin diabetes, need a refresher on diabetes management, or want the basic facts on diabetes. MANAGING TYPE 2 DIABETES Tuesday, March 8 · 9-11a.m., Rockwood Tackle habit changes and gain Tuesday, March 1 · 9-11a.m., Erin resources to help build your diabetes management skills. MEAL PLANNING Learn to choose foods that meet your nutrient and Tuesday, April 12 · 6:30-8:30p.m., Rockwood energy needs. Get hands-on Thursday, April 7 · 6:30-8:30p.m., Erin practice planning some of your own weekly meals. How much is your Real Estate worth? Rockwood Sales & Service For Appointments Call: 519-826-6031 or email: sales@rockwoodtv.com www.rockwoodtv.com Has Relocated as of febRuaRy 1, 2011 · FREE In-Home Consultation · Professional Installation & Home Service TV firefighters, `sorry you can't have your proper equipment...you've got to use your old tanks,' and hopefully, nobody dies," Woods said on Friday. During the budget briefing, Councillor Doug Breen said new projects must be paid for with new revenue, "You can't keep milking the same cow. You need more cows in the herd...and if we just approve a three per cent cost of living increase, they will never be able to take on new programs or projects. Councillor John Scott questioned if they should "bite the bullet" now and use reserve funds to soften the impact of a big tax increase, or hold the stabilization funds for the future. New Councillor David Wolk said they could make cuts. But they "don't grow by shrinking" and their focus and challenge is to create new revenue through economic development. Councillors and staff will take another look at the budget on March 3. Sales & Service to all Audio & Video products You MUST register ahead of time so that we can reserve your spot. You can register on-line at www.ewfht.ca or by calling 519-833-7576 ext. 341. Check out our web site to find out more! Working together to build healthy communities in East Wellington.