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Thursday, D ecem ber 10, 2015 - The IFP - H alton H ills - w w w .theifp.ca Page 21 294 Queen St. Acton | 519-853-5775 www.rallisburger.com BURGER & GRILL RALLIS Serving All-Day Breakfast • Lunch • Dinner Can't make it home for dinner, stop by Rallis for fresh & fast home cooked meals! Chicken Souvlaki Dinner (chicken skewer, rice, fries, pita, greek salad & tzatziki) Available for Take-Out or Dine-In OPEN 7 DAYS AWEEK 8am - 9pm Souvlaki Dinner $500 OFF any order of$25 or morebefore tax. ✃ 45 MIN Full Bodyworkouts. the PossIBIlItIes are eNdless! BIg BrIght FacIlIty, Full raNge oF equIPMeNt 60 Armstrong Ave. 905.702.0200 | www.CircaFit.com Circuit training (6am start) Cardio KickFit muay thai Kickboxing Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Yoga Judo AS SEEN ON FAVORITE FITNESS CENTRE! JOIN THE MOVEMENT. TRY A FREE CLASS TODAY! NEWS The Town's 2016 operating budget, which could bring about a $60 tax increase for local resi- dents, has received initial approval from local council members. The $42-million budget that covers every- thing from the cost of running facilities like are- nas to staff salaries was endorsed unanimously on Monday by the Budget Committee, which is comprised of all members of council. The potential 3.9 per cent increase-- con- sisting of a base budget increase of 3.7 per cent and dedicated fire services levy of 0.2 per cent that will help fund the cost of hiring two new firefighters-- would translate into an additional $60 for the average Halton Hills home assessed at $400,000. Paired with the Region's potential tax in- crease of 1.9 per cent, or $24, and a typical homeowner could be paying an extra $84 in taxes next year. While the daytime meeting at the Halton Hills Civic Centre offered local residents an op- portunity to address the committee regarding the budget, there were no delegations. Town Commissioner of Finance and Treasur- er Ed DeSousa told the committee about the key drivers of next year's operating budget, which include: • An additional $1.07 million needed for staff compensation adjustments • Assessment growth of 0.75 per cent, or about $375,000 in revenue for the Town • Almost $100,000 in extra operating costs for the Acton Arena addition • A 4.6 per cent increase in Hydro charges for facilities totalling $81,450 • An increase of $60,000 in traffic signal maintenance to meet the Province's minimum maintenance standards • An extension of the Georgetown library's hours until 8:30 p.m. on Mondays, which will cost $53,400. "Since we are in the service delivery busi- ness, our biggest expense is compensation and benefits," noted DeSousa. The operating budget is predominantly funded by property taxes, with a smaller por- tion being contributed by Town user fees. DeSousa went on to present various charts to the committee that illustrate how Halton Hills's taxes are competi- tive, and in some cases lower, when compared to other municipalities in the area. During the meeting, the committee went through the budget by department and asked staff for clarifications on certain details, but made no changes. Included in the $42-million budget is $12.7 million for planning and infrastructure, $6 mil- lion for fire services, $5.7 million for commu- nity and corporate services, $3.4 million for the finance department, $3.3 million for library ser- vices, $2.7 million for the office of the CAO and $790,200 for council. The budget was lauded by those around the table, like Ward 3 Councillor Moya Johnson, who said she's happy to see funding included for extended Monday service at the George- town library branch. "It's high time that the building is open all day on Mondays," she said, noting the current limited Monday hours have been a huge suc- cess. Wards 3 & 4 Regional Councillor Jane Fogal shared similar sentiments. "I think it's great to have our facilities used as much as possible," she said. Mayor Rick Bonnette thanked DeSousa, se- nior management and all Town staff involved in creating the budget. "This has been one of the smoother budget processes we've had in recent years," he noted. Fogal credited CAO Brent Marshall and staff for looking at the Town of Halton Hills as a whole corporation, not just individual depart- ments. "I think we're getting more out of our per- sonnel, instead of just being in silos," she said. "It's moving the whole corporation forward." Ward 4 Councillor Ann Lawlor commended staff for the budget's format and alignment of the corporate ranking process with the Strategic Plan. "It really was a pleasure to read," she said. Of the tax dollars local residents pay, 42.4 per cent go to the Town, 36.4 per cent to the Region and 22.2 per cent to the local school boards. Last week, town council approved the 2016 capital budget of $12.7 million, which will fund the cost of building and renewing municipal facilities and infrastructure. Reserves are a ma- jor source of funding for capital projects, along with development charges. Council will consider the operating budget at its meeting on Monday evening. Following approval, both budgets will be available at the Town's libraries and www.haltonhills.ca. By Melanie Hennessey Special to The IFP Town's budget committee okays 2016 operating budget Distribution of residential tax dollars Town of Halton Hills graphics