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IA Ratepayers in Township will have to come up with an extra $42 this year on the Durham Region portion of their property taxes. _ Regional council will meet 1069 budgets aud 18 the bdo an e passes without further cuts, it will hike taxes an average of 16 per oom across Durham, , for an average home Souk for tax purposes at $3200, this will mean $304 in Regional taxes this year, up $42 from $262in 1988. i Though the increase in Scugogis a hefty one, local rate- payers can take some small con- solation that equalization fac- tors have kept the hike at $42. In Oshawa, the average property owner will cough up an extra $565 this year, and for those in Pickering the Regional bite will be a whopping $66 on an average home. The budget which goes in front of Regional council on Wednesday contains some of the sharpest spending and tax hikes in Durham's 15 year his- tory. Gross spending will climb from $146 million to just over Scugog = Z $170 million, while the net levy requirements from the tax pay- ers will be $61 million, a 26 per cent hike over the previous levy of $48.9 millionin 1988. The projected assesssment increase in Durham this year at 7.8 per cent will reduce the next tax bite to an average 19 per cent for the eight municipalities in the Region. Volume 123 Number 23 Ss With the Region tax hike up $42 in and the local Towsalip council budget add- ing another $40 to the average tax bill, ratepayers can expect to see their total tax bill climb by nearly $200 in 1989. The Durham Board of Edu- cation has yet to bring down its new budget, but the prediction is for a hefty increase for school PORT PERR Cutbacks in VIA | funding creates Concerned that the federal budget could be the death knell for VIA Rail service through this area, the Toronto-Havelock Passengers Association plans to submit its own brief to the fed- eral government on what's needed t to keep this line on the track. For the past five Jeare, VIA has been operating daily train service between Toronto and: Havelock which is widely used by commuters. Paul Pagnuelo, a Little uncertain future Britain resident who catches the train at the Myrtle stop each day to get to his job in downtown Toronto, told the Star over the weekend, he's very concerned that the cut- backs announced in last week's budget will have a negative im- pact on the Toronto-Havelock service. He's a member of the Pas- senger Association, which will submit a "business brief" direct- ly to the Department of Trana- (Turn to page 16) . 4 . Alice Was Delightful 'These sleepy "plants" were doing an absolutely cute som Public School production of Alice In Wonderla Alice, the Cheshire Cat, the Mad Hatter, the Ma acters were on hand for this delightful show. Perry Star. g (L v " ye i Inflation, running at better i ad i | than five per cent, will tack $3.6 & i million to 1989 spending, while i special levies for garbage dispo- L sal will cost $1.6 million. ---- -, Perhapsthe fos dyamatie 4 y increase in spending The budget that will be pre- : : } tig sented to Regional council this thied® ar willbe for dis Wednesday outlines several : reasons why taxes are increas- Last year, it cost $12.5 mil- ing at such arate this year. lion to get rid of the Region's The Region will be hiring trash. This year, with a garbage 201 new employees this year, crisis on huge proportions loom- 100 of them for the Police de- artment, and this will cost 2.4 million. DAY, MAY 2, 1989 ing on the horizon, the Region" will budget $40.9 million for garbage, a hike of $28 million. Copy 50¢ 64 Pages job in their performances at the Ep- nd, held at the Utica Hall last week. rch Hare and all the book's wonderful char- See more photos Inside this Issue of the Port