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Vol. 129 No. 34 COPY 65¢ w61¢ = 4¢ CST) Late tax bills rise In Twp. this year Scugog Township is attempt- ing to convince residents owing back taxes to pay up. . Councillors recently approved appointing a tax col- lector to dig for the money owed for a couple of weeks this sum- mer, but the job could prove to be bigger than the time allowed, said township admin- istrator Earl Cuddie. "It's really a much longer effort needed to get the task done," said Mr. Cuddie, who explained that a current trea- sury department worker is car- rying out the temporary assign- ment. "We're hoping to persuade (councillors) to give us a per- manent (collector) in the" future, but we'll just have to wait and see." Unpaid taxes in Scugog, as in other municipalities, are an increasingly troublesome fact. So far this year, just over 36 er cent of the total tax levy of 19.5 million -- that works out to $7.06 million -- remains unpaid. That's a deceptive fig- ure since September install- ment payments are still out- standing, but the amount owed is still substantial. Of the outstanding taxes: 0 Almost $1.1 million, or 5.7 per cent, are one year in arrears; 0 About $590,000 or a little over 3 per cent are owed from two years back, and 0 More than $473,000 or 2.5 per cent date to three years ago. Scugog taxpayers tradition- ally have a good record for keeping their taxes paid, but economic stress in the last sev- eral years has taken its toll, said the administrator. "It's snowballing," said Mr. Cuddie. "It's been on the climb for the last five or six years. Since the recession it's spiralled upwards." Tara Castelo, 5, and her pal Spinner were among the kid-and-dog teams that took part in the mutt show Saturday morning as part of Port Perry's Festival Days A girl's best friend... JEFF MITCHELU/PORT PERRY STAR fun. We've got more photos and a wrap-up of the weekend inside today's Star, and have plenty more in reserve for the Weekend Star. Another tornado batters Scugog homes By Jeff Mitchell Port Perry Star Scugog residents were cleaning up again Saturday morning after another vicious summer storm ripped through the area, felling trees and power lines. Scugog was on the fringe of yet another tornado -- a weak twister battered the area June 7 -- that caused substantial damage in communities north of Lake Scugog and left many areas without hydro for hours. The storm, which swept in during the early-morning hours Saturday after a sweltering day with off-the-meter humidity readings Friday, clobbered Port Perry and communities on the south shore of Lake Scugog, particularly Nestleton. Saturday morning dawned to reveal numerous downed limbs, and branches scattered everywhere, while in some areas entire trees had come crashing down. People who had tossed and turned in their beds throughout the muggy night were awakened by a sudden rush of high winds that split trees and felled hydro poles. Some said they awoke to feel their houses shaking under the force of the tremendous gusts, which reports have clocked at more than 100 kilometres an hour. Barbara Carnegie and her husband Richard were awakened in their home at the corner of Mary and John Sts. in Port Perry when the storm slammed the area after 2 a.m. Saturday. A large old maple on the corner of their property split under the stress, and half of it came crashing down on a garage they Turnto Page 15 28 Pages