PAGE 10, WHIBYFREE PRESS. WEDNESDAY. MARCH 22, 1989 Town portion of 1989 tax bll increases 3.9per cent FROM PAGE 1 cent increase for rural residents, but councillors chopped $24,000 from the budget during last Tuesday night's meeting. «The abihty of staff and council to control growth has had a positive effect on this budget," said councillor Ross Batten, budget chairman. Batten later explained that growth means more money can be collected by the Town. The Town had a growth rate of 7.7 per cent in 1988. "We have allowed growth to come in at a rate we can keep up with. We have big dollars coming in and we have been responsible handling those expenses," clai- med Batten. "There will be a downturn in the economy at some point in time and we are planning now to spend the dollars from growth, so when the municipality is in a downturn we are not trapped into expenses." Mayor Bob Attersley reflected those comments. "We are way under inflation. I'm proud of that. This municipa- lity is in a good healthy financial position," noted the mayor. Two major projects in this year's budget nelude the con- struction of the first phase of the Town's new recreation complex and the expartion of the Town's operations yard on Thickson Rd. N., both of which will be financed partly through debentures. Phase one of the new recrea- tion centre is expected to cost $9-million, $5.4-million of which will be debenture financed. The remaining $3.6-million will come from Town reserve funds. Expansion of the Town ope- rations centre, which will house trucks and equipment for both the public works and parks and recreation department, will cost $5-million. 0f that amount, $3- million will be debentured while the remaining $2-million will be taken from reserve funds. Attersley explained that while a pay-as-you-go policy is nice, it is not always possible. "Debenturing will also get the people coming into Town paying for the items. It won't be only those living here now paying," said Attersley. 'This is an interesting and good budget. I think it's the beginning of budgets we are going to see throughout this term," commented regional coun- cillor Marcel Brunelle. "If it wasn't for the growth we would be looking for $2-million we wouldn't have," said regional councillor Joe Drunm. The budget process was the first for councillors Dennis Fox and Lynda Buffett. "Now I can say how efficiently Town taxes are being spent. This budget provides Whitby resi- dents with good services," said Fox. The $46.2-million budget is broken down into two categories. The $19.4-million current budget is financed through taxes while the $26.7-million capital budget is financed mainly through reserve funds with $1.5- million generated through taxes. The Town also has other avenues available to generate funds. It collected $1.7-million in grants from various governmen agencies as well as $1.3-millio from provincial grants includin $209,107 from Bell Canada. The Town also collected $2.7- million in fees for issuing per. mits for building and plumbing ($1.8-million); issuing lottery and busines" licenses ($67,359); and collecting fines and fees for tax penalties and legal inquiries ($741,842). The Town also collected $739,159 from investment in- come and collected $47,420 in parking violations as well as 188,877 from Town-owned metered parking. Budget gives area residents chance to petition for road improvements Something new has been intro- duced into this year's budget, and Whitby council hopes the change will answer some of the road deficiencies in town. Residents will have the oppor- tunity to petition council for road improvements. If approved, resi- dents w.ould help pay for the work through their taxes over a certain period of time. Operations committee gave approval to the policy Monday night. Council is expected to give it approval next Tuesday night. Council has included two local improvement projects in this year's budget. One is work on Cornation Rd at a cost of $600,000. Under the local improvement policy, the residents and Town would share $560,000 of the cost with the remaining $40,000 to come from Town reserve funds. The public works department has yet to report on the percen- tage of work residents would pay for. The other local improvement project is $350,000 for asphalt overlay on Newman Cres. Resi- dents would contribute part of $61,150 towards the work. Again, the public works will report on the residents' contribu- tion. "We have introduced it to see what the reaction will be," said 'budget chairman and north ward councillor Ross Batten. Mayor Bob Attersley said resi- dents affected by the two projects in the budget have yet to be notified. "Some will see this as a posit- ive step while some may not," .said regional councillor Tom Edwards at Monday night's ope- rations committee meeting. "This is not a perfect solution. But it is reasonable and respon- sible," commented councillor Joe Bugelli. A report from the public works department noted that the Town now requires $37-million for road repairs during the next five years. Under the policy, residents would petition the Town for im- p rovements. Those roads the own has listed as needing repairs 'now' would be repaired by the Town through the normal process of applying to the Pro- vince for subsidy. New Junior DanceDIMsion Ballroom& Latin American N (Starts This Saturday) Call Now 430.0014 409 Brock St. S, Whitby - - i - i - i - i.- I - i i -~ '- irnu - i - s IN nuijUN I FOR SOME GREAT BUYS Records • Tapes • CD's 10 undas St. W. Whitby 668-2599 R & STAXSERVICE Serving Durham Region Since 1979. 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