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10 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday March 19, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Pressure for more programs Continued from page 1 Make Earth Hour happen in Oakville! The challenge is simple. The impact is earth changing. Sign up and be counted at www.oakvilleplace.com until March 29! Turn your lights off for 1 hour on March 29, 2008 and be counted among the millions of people who will join together to fight climate change. VOTE March 19 - 25 for the best entry at www.oakvilleplace.com Who's entry offered the best, the most original or the strangest energy saving idea? Vote for them! Your vote might get them to the finals and one step closer to winning a Trip for 2 to Australia, Complete contest details online. where Earth Hour began! Earth Hour Celebration, March 29, 12 noon ­ 4 pm Centre Court · eco-giveaways · meet our 60 finalists and see who wins the Trip for 2 to Australia · test your eco-knowledge and hear from our Earth Hour competition at Sunshine Plaza, Australia In February, Oakville's 2008 Budget Committee met with delegations, from arts and cultural groups to GreenTrans and the Chamber of Commerce, who called for improved library programs for children and teens, additional transit routes, increased funding for the arts and a strong economic development strategy. "We had to balance many competing demands and priorities," said Ward 4 Councillor Allan Elgar, chair of the budget committee. On Monday staff outlined additional sources of revenue the Town could use. "Recently there was the taxi licence fee (increase) approval, which will increase revenue by $26,700 in 2008, gradually increasing up to around $80,000 over three years," said Patti Elliot-Spencer, Director of Finance and Treasurer. "We are recommending that the budget for POA (Provincial Offenses Act) revenue be increased by $100,000. We are proposing to increase our supplementary tax revenue budget by $200,000." Penalty fees and interest acquired from overdue tax accounts should yield $100,000, while investment income will bring another $200,000. Oakville Hydro also passed a new dividend policy that should give the Town a $1 million dividend. With these revenue sources factored in, the impact on the Town's tax bill is reduced from 4.1 per cent to 3.52 per cent. This gave staff leeway to fit in some of the new items brought before the budget committee in February: · $100,000 boost to the Tourism Event Budget, · $32,300 for a Youth Graffiti Strategy, · $116,600 for a new youth centre, ·$110,110 for all-day service on Transit Route 200 and $167,800 for all-day transit service to the RIO Can Centre, as of July 1, · $20,000 for gypsy moth spraying, ·$65,000 for extra spring grass cutting, · an extra $11,000 in funding for the Oakville Public Library. The committee will pass these recommendations to Town Council at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25, for final approval. The meeting, to take place in Council Chambers at 1225 Trafalgar Rd., will be open to the public, and anyone wishing to speak on the proposed recommendations can call 905-845-6601, ext. 6048, or e-mail lmorgan@oakville.ca to register. JOIN THE 240 Leighland Avenue Oakville, ON L6H 3H6 905-842-2140 Grateful to GO Continued from page 6 VOTE for your fave entry at www.oakvilleplace.com Don't forget to sign up for Earth Hour. Earth Hour is on March 29, 8-9pm. We're in. Are you? or obtaining a job in the Oakville area. I hear daily on the radio those poor people on Hwys. 401, 410, Don Valley etc., and was extremely thankful that I had GO at my disposal. I also silently thanked those train drivers who took me home at 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve or any of the other holidays when I was going home and they had to work. Everyone has been complaining about the GO from the poor service to the insufficient parking. If you cannot find parking then take Oakville Transit. I did. I thought I would send this letter to give my side to the story. GO is not perfect, but it's far better than nothing. DAVID CARTWRIGHT