1% 1L989 PAGE i DUR HAM BOARD OF EDUCATION Large tax increase expected By Debbie Luchuk The Ministry of Education's 6.1-per cent increase in funding to the Durham Board of Educa- tion will not save Durham Regon taxpayers fron a hefty i mil rate increase for the next school year, board trustees lear- ned last Wednesday night. A preliminary budget shows a mill rate increase or Whitby with all budgetary demands and requests included, of 18.58 per cent. Cuts are expected to reduce thatincrease. Regionally, the increase would be 19.3 per cent without drastic cuts to expenses written into the first draft of the budget. The ministry's allocation of a 6. 1-per cent increase in funding is actually reduced to a 2-per cent increase in funding for the operating. budget of the board, superintendent of business Brian Camn told trustees. Trustees say mandated pro- grams and other more "hidden" mandates by the Province are dictating how the board may !j spend the provincial allocation, leaving very little for the costs of operating the schools and the Durham system. A large percent e of the budget increase willbe attribu- ted to new contract salary and benefits' increases to teachers at the secondary and elementary levels, Cain said. «Let's go back to last year. I will tell you right now I will not oRegion budget FROM PAGE 1 There is also $1.6-million for recycling in 1989 and $3.4-mil- lion to help the Region reach its goal of 25 per cent waste reduc- tion by 1993. Whitby Mayor Bob Attersley, a member of the committee, said the only way to bring down the increase is to reduce the level of service. "John Q. Public also has taxes for the individual municipalities and I also feel sorry for tle school boards. That total overall impact will be huge," said Atters- le itby council approved a 3.9- er cent Town tax increase ear- lier this year. - After the Region meeting, Attersley said he will have trou- ble selling the Region increase. "This is what it has to be for the level of service people demand." The budget includes the hiring of 198 employees (including the 101 police employees) estimated to cost $2.5-million. As each committee and agency appeared before finance commit- tee, they said they had to play catch-upin staffing in 1988. [he Region now has 2,000 employees. Finance members accepted this explanation but called for a hiring freeze in 1990 unless a department can prove new staff is warranted. Oshawa councillor AI Mason did not like the idea. He said staff may have to be h, ired next year, especially in the police department. "If we don't adjust the police ratio we ma be sending officers I into difficu t positions," said Mason, who is also a member of the Durham Begion Police Com- mission. Budgets for the various de part- ments are: works, $1 3.6-million, an increase of 15.9 per cent; social services, $13.2-million, an increase of 28.7 per cent, plan- nin g, $1.8-million, an increase of 15.1 per cent; Children's Aid Society, $2-million, an increase of 34.5 per cent; and a contribu- tion of $625,000 to 911. The committee's recommenda- tion was to go before regional council today ( Wednesday, April 19). The Region's committees and outside agencies have been asked to take another look at cutting items from their budgets. Council will then set a final increase at its meeting May 3. be suppor tingany extra goodies like busing, Oshawa trustee Cathy OTlynn said, suggesting that no new programs or capital expenditures be put into the budget. "We're not going to be able to honor all the aspirations of the people (who asked for various programs, transportation and building). You have to run your house within your budget guide- lines," Oshawa trustee Gary Kit- chen said, supporting O'Flynn's comments. Cain said he "suggests that it will be impossible to get (the mill rate) to 10 per eint (increase)." Staff suggested that other com- parable boards in the province will not be able to get mill rate increases below 15 per cent. Scugog trustee Joyce Kelly ref- erred to the budget as looking through the Christmas cata- logue, and picking out toys. 'Santa Claus has hit the bot- tom of the barrel," she said. "The Region is in double figures, and so are we. It's going to be really, really murderous (for the taxpayer)," Oshawa trus- tee Don Mcflveen said. Ajax trustee Duncan Read said that there was a need for im- provements to some school build- ings, but that it was obviously going to be impossible to find nmg for any repairs in this budget. "This is an annual exerc- ise in self-flagellation. The longer you delay some repairs, the more they cost (in the future)." "We have a responsibility to the system, and look at doing it as realistically as possible. If we have to bite the bullet, this is the year,"he said. Pickering trustee Lyn Craig did not want to put a mill rate increase "ceiling" on the budget. "This board has been respon- sible in our own expenditures. I was elected to provide quality education, not necessarily keep taxes down." "I'm not particularly keen on making a statement on a number Id like to live with," she said. Replying to Kitchen's "house» illustration, she said "If you own a house, you keep in repair. You don't kick your kids out if you don't have enough money." Trustees complained that the Province is shifting its responsi-- bility for education funding to the local municipalities. The second draft budget will be compiled by -board staff for April 26, and will be aimed at a 10 per cent mill rate increase. Trustees will have to decide which expenses will remain in the budget and which will be deferred at that meeting. The Durham Region separate school board has not yet establ- ished a draft budget or tentative mill rate for the whole board or for individual municipalities. The board will hold a meeting next Monday night to discuss the 1989 budget. Volunteers wanted Volunteers are wanted for two activities at Fairview Lodge. Volunteers are needed to run weekly Saturday video after- noons and to take part in a pet visiting program. For the video program, volun- teers would recruit residents for the video, play the video on the large television set and the return residents to their rooms. Training provided. For the pet program, volun- teers would make regular rounds (twice a week) with a purebred therapy dog. Training provided for handling of dogs. For more information call Car- rie Mason at 668-5851 or 668- 5874.