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Your Hometown Newspaper Volume 9 No. 5 Thursday, February 1, 2007 THE NEW Newstand Price 40 + GST SLIPPERY SLOPE: The first sled ride of the winter was fast and fun for Actons Riley (right) and Owen MacArthur who tested the hill on Elizabeth Drive on Sun- day. - Frances Niblock Regions tax increase $56 Halton Regional Council approved only a 0.9% property tax increase for regional programs and services in the 2007 budget but a 5.9% increase for Halton Police and a 4.0% hike in water and sewer rates bring the total regional increase for a typical home owner in Halton, assessed at $300,000, to $55.93. Translated into dollars, the property tax increase is approximately $7.44, while police services account for $22.32 while the combined water and sewer bill will be boosted by approximately $26.17 for a typical household with 300m3 annual consumption of water. The Region accounts for approximately 36% of a Halton homeowners property tax bill. The remaining portion of a tax bill goes towards education and to Halton Hills. In 2006 the Towns share of the tax bill was 31% while education took the remaining Council approves $50 tax increase for 2007 By Frances Niblock Town taxes will increase by 5.4 per cent this year for a property assessed at $300,000. The operating and capital budgets approved by the budget committee on Tues- day slated for ratification by council on Monday result in an increase of $50, to $980, for Town tax purposes. Combined with no in- crease in the school board taxes, and a 2.5 per cent increase in the Regional budget, the total tax bill for a property valued at $300,000 increases by 2.7 per cent, or $82, for a total tax bill of $3,074 for this year. The capital budget for 2007 is $11.1-million and the capital forecast to 2016 is $91,6-million. The amount to be raised by taxes is $22,327,200, 5.4 per cent more than last year. The budget committee began deliberations facing a 4.8 per cent increase on Monday, and at the end of four hours had increased it to 5.7 per cent. Two hours of talks on Tuesday resulted in total budget cuts of $59,600 and with some additional savings found by staff, the operating budget was cut to reflect a 5.4 per cent increase. Mayor Rick Bonnette said it was amazing how the budget process works, noting with their additions and deletions, theyd almost come full circle from where they began. I know its been a dif- ficult decision and difficult time, Bonnette said as he thanked staff and council- lors for their long hours of hard work. Bonnette was unsuccess- ful in an attempt to cut $100,000 from the budget by spending less on road repairs. The Town has a dedicated two per cent tax increase built into the budget to pay for long overdue road repairs, and Bonnette sug- gested they contribute less this year, a plan his col- leagues could not support. On Monday night, Acton Councillor Mike OLeary was rebuffed in an attempt to give taxpayers a one-time credit by taking $150,000 part of a snow clearing budget surplus to put in the tax stabilization fund to lessen the tax hike bite. OLeary said the mild winter has left taxpayers deserving and expect- ing some savings, and with $447,000 difference between what was bud- geted and what was spent ($538,000) for snow clear- ing last winter, taxpayers should get a one-time break. Treasurer Ed DeSouza said if the $150,000 was removed from the 2006 Willy or wont he see his shadow? Lets have a little levity, please, and go easy on the drum roll. Tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 2) is Groundhog Day and its time for the varmint to emerge from his underground lair and predict how long before we experience the warm weather heralding the coming of Spring. The centuries-old story goes that when Wiarton Willy or Punxsutaw- ney Pete or any other hog emerges from their dens theyll look for their shadow. If they see it, so the legend goes, theyll scurry back to their comfortable quarters and well have six more weeks of winter. If the varmints fail to see their shadows then, according to all thats true in folklore well all have an ear- ly Spring. Since 2007 winter weather didnt set in in these here parts until nearly the middle of January thatll be a bonus indeed. But what if one groundhog sees his shadow and another one doesnt? You go figger... Rent-A-Car Daily Weekly Monthly 856-0000 286 Alma Street, Rockwood ILLAGE 387 Queen St. East, Acton 336 Guelph St. Georgetown 905-877-0149 Georgetown Chrysler Dodge Jeep georgetownchrylser.com Town Region Education Total 2006 Final Budget $930 $1,270 $792 2007 Preliminary Budget $ Change % Change $980 $1,302 $792 $50 $32 $0 5.4% 2.5% 0.0% 2.7%$82$3,074$2,992 Property tax on home assessed at $300,000 Continued on page 2 Continued on page 2