= Vol. 1, No. 1 be toa SUBURBAN (91) INC. ¢ MICHAEL (MIKE) ADAMS. 877-5211 Wednesday, September 30, 1992 28 pages ‘Award Winning Sales Rep = 874-3051 232 Guelph St., Georgetown 873-2254 50th Birthday Georgetown Girls’ Pipe Band pipe major Jane Power (left) and Inez Crichton of Limehouse, an original member of the band, were among performers at Friday night’s Tattoo in the Georgetown Memorial Arena. The Tattoo, which also featured The Lorne Scots, The Queen’s York Rangers and The Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, was part of a program of, weekend activities celebrating the 50th anniversary of| the Georgetown band. Photo by Dianne Cornish ‘Your independent voice in Halton Hills” 50 cents includes G.S.T. Councillors slam Regional Market Value Assessment By Dianne Cornish A tax reform move, which will see region-wide Market Value Assessment (MVA) become a real- ity in Halton in 1993, has raised the hackles of many on Halton Hills Town Council as well as those of a 25-year resident of Georgetown. Last Wednesday’s decision. by regional council to implement the te-assessment based on 1988 val- 's drew sharp criticism at Monday’s town council meeting. Also unhappy with the outcome of the regional debate is Tom Politi, a Georgetown property owner who says he expects to see his taxes increase by $300 a year as a result of the new system. Politi, who lives near Dominion Seed, said residents living in older, established areas of town will feel the brunt of the new tax and many of these residents are seniors on fixed incomes. He also argued, as did several opponents to the scheme at last week’s regional council meeting, that the timing for this type of tax reform isn’t in tune with today’s economic reality. “The timing is atrocious. We’re in the middle of a recession. We’ ve got companies like Smith and Stone closing down,” he said. Councillor Gail Rutherford com- mended Halton Hills’ five repre- sentatives on regional council: for voting solidly against the proposal, which met with a 12-12 vote that was broken by Regional chairman Peter Pomeroy who voted for the re-assessment proposal. “Tm disappointed in Pomeroy (a Halton Hills resident),” Rutherford added, further criticizing the regional decision because it’ll base assessments on 1988 property val- ues, when the economy and prop- erty values were in much better shape than today. Halton Hills and Oakville repre- sentatives on regional council voted against the proposal, while Burlington and Milton representa- tives supported the change. The region-wide system basically calls for a tax shift of $4 million from Burlington to Oakville with only marginal overall tax increases pre- dicted for Halton Hills and Georgetown. However, it’s the “shifting” of the re-assessment program, which -would see some homeowners pay Continued on page 3 Region-wide waste reduction challenge starts tomorrow Halton Hills will compete with the Region’s three other municipalities— Burlington, Oakville and Milton—in a waste reduction challenge which will determine which of Halton’s municipalities has achieved the greatest reduction of household refuse during a one-month period. The Region-wide contest will be held throughout the month of October, Halton Hills’ refuse reduction co-ordinator Paul Sargent said last week. The contest is part of a local program of activities arranged to mark Waste a Week being observed across Ontario, September 27 to October ate in past years, Halton Hills staff will be setting up waste reduction information displays at the Civic Centre and Cultural Centre, in Georgetown, as well as Acton Public Library. In addition, a banner pro- moting Waste Reduction Week will be flown above the intersection of Ontario Street and Highway 7. Sargent explained that the region-wide contest will compare each municipality’s waste diversion rate based on what was collected last October and what will be collected this October. By comparing the house- hold waste collected during the two months, the Region will determine which Halton municipality has achieved the greatest reduction of refuse. To ensure that the contest is fair, the growth rate for each municipality will be “factored into” the overall formula, Sargent said. In Halton Hills, the household increase equates to about 2.4 per cent. Continued on page 3 LIGHTING Let us hetp ye. with ALL, your Lighting concerns! MADEIN 245 Guelph St. (Hwy. 7), Georgetown 873-2996 VIN CERAMIC LAMP 26" Trilight Ass't Colours Values in effect until ota 3, '92 or while quantities last. Bulbs extra. L ILAMPSHADES ON SALE....