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20 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, March 12, 1991 CAUT responds to Official Plan The following is the submission to the Planning Committee of the Regional Municipality of Durham, 5th March 1991, regar- ding review of the Durham Regional Official Plan 1991 by Citizens Against Unjustified Taxes. This plan calls for major expan- sion of the Region, for a new town, an airport, and a major highway. It calls for urban control with pro- tection for the environment. For the retention of farmland and the statement of integrating nature into the urban fabric. Major ex- pansion may or may not be good for all areas of the Region. From our reading of the plan, it seems like a disaster for Scugog Township. Natural growth and the demands of society will dictate the need for an airport, the building of the 407 corridor would solve some of the traffic problems of getting to Pearson Airport and lessen the need for a second GTA international airport. As yet there is no proof that an airport will bring in industry, for illustration you only have to look at the white elephant of Mirabel. If the airport does proceed, what cost will be borne by Durham Region Tax- payers? And where has it been proven that there will be a net benefit to Region taxpayers. It is common knowledge that when a housing development is built, contributing to the assess- ment base and increasing revenue, our taxes still go up. It does not matter how much in lot levies are paid to cover capital costs, or even if the infrastructure is already present, our taxes still go up. This proves that new development is not paying its fair share, that lot levies are not ade- quate. At the present time any new development causes taxes to increase. It is apparent from the plan that agricultural land and municipalities with small villages and hamlets will be curtailed in their development. This may be seen as a positive approach to ur- ban growth but it severely diminishes any increase in assessment to help offset increas- ed costs incurred by development in the official plans designated areas. If development is to take place, planners should take a more serious look at integrating smaller housing developments. It should not be completely in the ur- ban areas as suggested by the of- ficial plan. Controlled growth, as the plan puts it, suits the developers, but there is abundant opportunity to spread the growth around in rural areas on non pro- ductive agricultural land, instead of using good farm land adjacent to established urban areas. Rural settlements would also contribute to the plans other ideal of diverse and affordable housing. Urban managed growth as outlined in the plan contributes to higher housing costs due to developers control over the number of lots made available to builders. This encourages unrealistjc lot prices by disallow- ing competition from village, hamlet and rural lots in the rest of Durham Region. The plan calls for new develop- ment to bear the full cost of its share of service related capital costs. Our membership believes that this should also include the capital cost of schools, and the proportional cost of teachers and administration; recreation facilities and their full capital costs, with operation and maintenance costs on a user fee basis. Lake Scugog is one of the ma- jor recreational attractions in Durham and the GTA area. In fact the official plan indicates that we in Scugog are to be the We're committed to serve you better. R'S Buy early and get big savings on hay and forage equipment Now is the season to harvest big savings on the new hay and forage equipment you'll need next spring. It's Winter Buyer's Dividend time and it's going on now! Come in and make your best deal. Then, we'll give you a big Ford New Holland Winter Buyer's Dividend that will be applied to the purchase price. Eligible New Holland equipment includes: rakes, mowers, tedders, mower-conditioners, square and round balers, bale wagons, crop choppers, forage boxes, and forage harvesters. Here are some examples of the big dollar dividends waiting for you: Feb./Mar. Equipment Model Dividend Square Baler 575 $ 935.00 Round Baler 855 $2,335.00 Mower - Conditioner 492 $1,185.00 But you'd better hurry. The program ends March 31, 1991, so get your Winter Buyer's Dividend now. It's the season for savings! MORROW FARM EQUIPMENT LTD. Sunderland, Ontario 1-705-357-3121 playground of those in the urban parts of the Region. The plan calls for expansion of existing tourist facilities, which will have a direct bearing on Scugog taxes. Then the plan severely restricts housing development in this area and the associated tax base to fund these facilities. We in Scugog will be hit three ways: 1) Tax increases for urban development out of our area. 2) Tax increases to support an in- frastructure for extra tourism. 3) Cost of service increases that will not be alleviated by an increase in the township assessment base from development. Our membership feels that we already receive very little in return for the increased taxes we pay, it believes that we are only in the region to subsidize the taxes of those in the urban areas. As our society ages and a larger percentage of people are retiring on fixed incomes, municipal taxes become an increasing part of their financial burden. We cannot put people in the position where they may have to forgo life's basic necessities to pay their taxes, that is what this proposed regional plan will do. At the 1990 increase rate of 13.2 percent, our taxes will double in five years, unless we stop now and budget for our needs rather than our wants. Unless lot levies are based and charged on the full cost of services to be provided, new housing development will not lead to economic stability. Develop- ment as outlined in this official plan will only exacerbate the problem. In summation this plan will cause in Scugog: 1) Higher taxes, 2) Loss of trade jobs, 3) Loss of revenue to local building sup- pliers, 4) Static revenue for pre- sent businesses, 5) The possibili- ty of people losing their homes. We strongly oppose any development that will increase our taxes. ~ Please recycle this newspaper Wednesday, March 13th We hope that all our valued customers enjoyed a safe and happy winter season. Drop in soon and try the best barbequed CHICKEN & RIBS, and STRAWBERRY PIE you have ever tasted. HWY. 7A and 12 - MANCHESTER Wanda Emke, 12, and Shawna Beesley, 10, of S.A. Caw- ker Public School each won first place for their vocal solos at the Sunderland Music Festival. S.A. Cawker's Triple Trio placed first at the Sunderland Music Festival performing "When Love Is Kind". Pictured are: Back Row(l-r): Kristin Cochrane, Sabrina Chatten, Re- gan Byers, Elissa Blowe, Michelle LePage. Front: Joanna Shepherd, Erika Goreski, Karen Brozina. Absent: Amanda -- Karen Shier wins 4-H award Karen Shier participated in the 1991 4-H Selection Weekend in February as the county/district nominee. She impressed the judges of the Selection Committee with her knowledge, enthusiasm and her presentation abilities and was awarded the Petro Canada 4-H Youth Leadership Award. Karen has been involved in the 4-H since 1984 and has received 24 and 30 project awards. She has also attended 4-H Leadership Camp and was on a 4-H exchange to Saskatchewan. Karen is active in many community groups and activities and her leadership skills and enthusiasm are assets she brings to all her extra cur- ricular activities. The Petro Canada award is designed to encourage young Canadians to set higher education goals, to become involved in the community and to learn about the responsibilities of Canadian citizenship through 4-H member- ship. The award of $1000 is to cover the recipient's tuition.