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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday January 12, 2007 - 7 Halton budget includes $90M for police service Just add Breakfast TV Continued from page 1 SAVINGS NOW $ or $ 39999 $ or $ 59999 1320/mth 1980/mth Comfort Ambition Recumbent · Walk Thru Design · Great Back Support · Contact Heart Rate Bremshey Orbit Trail Elliptical · 16 Variable Resistance Levels · Adjustable Stride Length · Great Warranty Top ten Halton projects Halton's proposed 2007 capital budget contains more than $180 million in expenditures for regional services. Here are the top 10 largest projects: · Wastewater main on Upper Middle Road from Bronte Road to west of Third Line -- $12 million · Trafalgar Road widening from two to four lanes between Britannia Road to south of Hwy. 401 -- $10.6 million · Construction of James Snow Parkway from Steeles Avenue to Boston Church Road -- $8 million · New 16 Mile Creek structures on Dundas Street between Neyagawa Boulevard and Proudfoot Trail -- $7.5 million · Trafalgar Road grade separation at the railway crossing south of Hwy. 401 -- $6.7 million · Reservoir and watermain to reservoir for lake-based servicing areas of the Milton and Halton Hills 401 Corridor -- $6 million · Construction of cell #3 at the Halton Waste Management Site -- $5.7 million · Georgetown waste water treatment plant digester upgrade -- $5.4 million · Winston Churchill Boulevard reconstruction from No. 5 to No. 10 sideroads -- $3.3 million · Dundas Street widening from four to six lanes from Neyagawa Boulevard to Proudfoot Trail -- $2.8 million. e YOUR CARDIO & STRENGTH HOME GYM Vision 6100 Elliptical Yoga Kit now $29.99 Polar Heart Rate Monitors from $59.99 The Famous Bosu Ball now $158.99 VOTED BEST RETAILER IN THE GTA 5 YEARS IN A ROW! 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Province that it's going to increase Halton's emergency medical services (EMS) funding by $1.6 million. "That money really does help out," remarked Regional Chairman Gary Carr, noting he thinks the proposed tax increase is reasonable. "I think we've put together a good budget." For 2007, the average homeowner's total regional tax bill is expected to be about $1,257. Included in that number is $406 for police services, $277 for social and community services, $182 for GTA pooling (a system that helps Toronto pay for its social services) $145 for planning and transportation and $114 for waste management. "We continue to provide a high quality of service to our residents," noted acting Commissioner of Corporate Services Mark Scinocca. In addition to hearing from Region staff, the administration and finance committee was also given a presentation Wednesday by Conservation Halton (CH), which receives funding from Halton each year. In the past, CH's budget has come under fire during deliberations at the Region, with committee members saying it was difficult to understand. In response, CH set up a finance committee and developed a budget presentation format and guiding budget principles to clarify its process. This time around, the conservation authority's budget received kudos from regional councillors like Burlington's John Taylor, who congratulated its staff for presenting a "much clearer, concise and understandable" document. CH's request for $4.5 million -- 11 per cent more than last year -- was supported by the committee within the 2007 budget. The committee also endorsed the Halton Regional Police's budget of more than $90 million. Of the proposed $28.88 tax increase, $22.32 is for police services, while the remainder is for regional services. Milton Mayor Gord Krantz said while he's not happy to see an increase that's twice the rate of inflation in the police budget, he noted he's reasonably pleased with the overall increase. The next day during the planning and public works committee's deliberations, councillors heard from Miltonian Gary Ellis. He voiced concerns about the Region's Green Cart program, which is currently in the pilot stage. The initiative sees kitchen scraps collected separately at the curb. With a potential energy-from-waste facility on the horizon for Halton, he said the Green Cart could become redundant. He urged the committee to deny all Green Cart funding -- which totals about $700,000 in the 2007 budget -- and end the program now. "Stop the spending on this feel-good program before someone suggests that you have too much sunk cost to quit," he said. But nobody made a motion to do so. Staff explained the $700,000 wouldn't be spent until a report evaluating the program goes before council in the spring. On the water and wastewater side of the budget, rates are expected to go up by four per cent, or $26.17. This is less than the 6.5 per cent hike equating to approximately $42 projected last year for 2007. A staff report to the committees explained that savings have been achieved from prior investments made in the water meter replacement program, accelerated cast iron watermain replacement program and the hydro purchasing plan. But the four per cent increase still raised concerns for Taylor, who noted that over the years, the cost of water for a typical family has gone from about $350 to 2007's anticipated $675. "It certainly has implications for the working poor," he pointed out. The budget will next go before the budget review committee January 22 and regional council January 24. -- Melanie Hennessey can be reached at mhennessey@miltoncanadianchampion.com. 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