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Adams said councillor portfolios could work well Continued from page 1 9 · Thursday, July 5, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com to deal with that portfolio. You have the same thing at the provincial and federal levels where you have a minister who may lead a particular portfolio for many years. "There are always challenges in terms of balancing the desires of the community with the fiscal capacity of the Town. Having done that for a number of years now, I've learned a little bit about how to try to manage expectations and explain in a clear fashion what is going on and why. I think council appreciates that." Despite Adams being re-elected budget chair unanimously, not every member of the budget committee was happy about it. Ward 5 Town and Regional Councillor Jeff Knoll said he had initially hoped to see a change in the chair position, but voted for Adams when it became clear the support for another chair wasn't there. "I would have liked to have seen a different chair. That's not (an) aspersion on Tom, I just think council has a longstanding tradition of setting up our committees with rotating chairs," said Knoll. "Whether it be Administrative Services, Community Services or bud- "Council and I are very happy to be able to draw on the expertise that Councillor Adams brings to the role." Oakville Mayor Rob Burton "Whether it be Administrative Services, Community Services or budget for that matter, normally the chairs keep moving so that all members of council have a chance to participate." Ward 5 Councillor Jeff Knoll get for that matter, normally the chairs keep moving so that all members of council have a chance to participate." Knoll said it is good for all councillors to get experience as budget chair and said it was also good for the budget process, as a new chair means new ideas and a fresh approach. This is not the first criticism Knoll has raised about committee membership. In 2009, he said he was disgusted with the actions of council, which he felt purposely excluded him from committee appointments for political reasons. Oakville Mayor Rob Burton pointed out that given the work Adams has been doing as budget chair for the past few years, a fresh approach may not be what's needed. "Council and I are very happy to be able to draw on the expertise and experience that Councillor Adams brings to the role," he said. "The four years before the last six, the total tax levy rose on average seven per cent a year. Last term it rose just more than five per cent and this term it will be three per cent... So 7-5-3 is a terrific direction. I think on council we feel that is a direction we want to keep going in and the feedback I get from the public is they really appreciate that direction and they don't want us to change that direction." The Town's most recent budget saw a 2.93 per cent hike to residents' 2012 property taxes after a 6.55 per cent hike to the Town's base budget was blended with Halton Region's 1.2 per cent increase and no hike to education rates in 2012. Adams said he would serve as budget chair for the 2014 Budget Committee if called on to do so. "I'm very pleased to continue to take that role. It's an important role in terms of trying to guide council through what is always a difficult process," said Adams. During last week's budget meeting, the committee heard from senior staff about forecasted expenditure levels intended to ensure the total 2013 property tax increase does not exceed current inflation rates, as per council's direction. Plans for a series of fall public open houses, interactive online forums and budget committee meetings are underway with the recommended 2013 budget targeted to go to council in December. "Our goal is simple, make the budget as easy to understand as possible so all constituents can have their say. We plan to intensify our social media and online communication efforts to engage even more Oakville residents," said Adams. "Connecting with the public is very important to us." The 2013 budget documents will be released in November. 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