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COUNCIL BUDGET INCLUDES NUMBER OF NEW INITIATIVES Continued from page 1 On the insurance front, Leighton explained that rates have been going up globally for a variety ofrea- sons, including COVID-19, “catastrophic losses" re- sulting m climate the rising cost of future care for critical in- jury payouts. such, town staff is forecasting an insurance rate increase for the munic- ipality of up to $663,300 for next year. This amount, combined with the WSIB reserve in- crease, accounts for 1.6 per centof taxrate “It is never easy to put taxes up for people.” - Coun. Clark Somerville costs. "It is never easy to put taxes up for people," he said. "We spend so much time looking at the budget and going through it pro- ject by project to see what we can do, but you look at (the 2022 budget) and there's so. much out of our control wi hike. Council directed staff to explore options to fund or mitigate the projected in- creases. Coun. Clark Somerville said he's spoken to munici- pal colleagues across the country, and ve all finding them: in the same boat vith | ‘dete 's be- ing driven by insurance WSIB. In ‘other budget news, funds will be earmarked to get some new initiatives off the ground, including the municipality's equity, versity and inclusion strat- egy, and truth and reconcil- jation strategy. e Tatter a comes as wel- come news to local Indige- nous leader Sherry Saevil. think it's absolutely fantastio” she said, going on to laud other steps the municipé already taken on the truth and rec- onciliation front. Hills is really moving the needle y ‘when it comes to try- ing to raise that awareness within the community." approval scheduled for Dec. 18. STORY BEHIND THE STORY: With the 2022 municipal budget process already getting underway for Halton Hills, we wanted to take a closer look at next year's projected tax in- crease and the key items driving the budget. ‘SCAN THIS CODE for more local _] Alexandra Heck/Metroland Coun. Clark Somerville says municipalities across the country are grappling with rising insurance costs. BB NEWS AVOID FINES, Remember that book you signed out of the li- brary to help pass the time in the early days of the pandemic? Well, if it's still on your bookshelf, it's time to re- turn it. RETURN LIBRARY MATERIAL BY OCT. 1 After waiving fines for overdue material between April 2020 and September 202, , the Halton Hills Pub- $e 5 ae R 5 Hie & 3. 5 ay encourage the return of li- brary material, any exist- ing fines will be waived if the materialis returned by Oct. 1, even ifit was Signed out {prior to April 2020. er Oct. 1, all overdue returns will be subject to fines based on the due date. Corsi WALK-IN & FAMILY CLINIC Where good health begins 221 Miller Dr., Georgetown GenesisHealthTeam.com Fines will only apply to overdue items checked out on an adult's account. Li- brary accounts for anyone up to the age of 17 will con- tinue to be fine free. Overdue items do still need to be returned, even on fine-free accounts, or a replacement fee will be charged. Library users who want to keep their items for longer can renew as quested i it items can noe re- newed by logging into your library account or by contacting the library for assistance. eonnvone with a library unt can view what is checked out on their ac- count online by using their library card number. For assistance or for more information, contact the ubrary a ae nae 873-2681, email us@halton- hills.ca or ae the library website. He 330 GUELPH ST., GEORGETOWN (opposite Canadian Tire) www.millersscottishbakery.com lappy Thanksgiving *y FROM YOUR FRIENDS AT MILLERS! A Check out our selection of Breads, Buns, Meat Pies, British style Meats, 2 Groceries, Desserts, Gifts and more. MILLER’S SCOTTISH BAKERY Fresh made & baked on premises Closed October 11 for family time Tues & Sat 9:30-6, Wed-Fri 10-6:30, Sun 11-4, CLOSED MONDAYS UONEH - dl UL | 2 a Fy 2 a S s © g eo 3 g 8 8 HS BS 8 eordyouy