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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Wednesday, December 18, 2013 | 10 Halton Region wants development charges to carry growth costs by Bob Mitchell Special to the Beaver The Province should allow municipalities to recover all growth costs it funds through development charges, Halton Region councillors say. Regional council will make that recommendation to the provincial government early next year as the Province un- dertakes a review of existing development charge legislation. "The Province needs to become a funding partner in assisting growth in the way it did in the 1970s and 80s," Mark Scinocca, Halton's commissioner of finance and Regional treasurer, told Regional council Dec. 11. "The Province has to un- The Province (of Ontario) needs to become a funding partner in assisting growth in the way it did in the1970s and '80s. The Province has to understand, we cannot proceed with growth unless we have a financing plan that does not have any impact on the taxpayers. Mark Scinocca ! They're back holiday daily deals! No other discounts apply. No price adjustments on previous purcha ses. No rain checks. No pre-orders. Finance commissioner and treasurer, Halton Region December 18 Wednesday only! 99 Save $50 Save $100 129 Home Studio bonded leather club chair Reg. 229.99 99 Reg.149.99 99 Like us to WIN! this item Sodastream FIZZ Titanium See Facebook for details December 19 Thursday only! 99 Save 50% Save 75% 49 Platinum collection 1000TC 6 pce sheet set Reg. 199.99 Queen & king Available in 4 colours 69 Reg.139.99 99 Like us to WIN! this item Save 50% Bissell Opticlean Rewind upright vacuum See Facebook for details 99 Bissell Cleanalong bagged canister vacuum Reg.199.99 99 Canada's largest kitchen, bed and bath superstore! homeoutfitters.com IMPORTANT CUSTOMER INFORMATION: HOILDAY DAILY DEALS : No other discounts apply. No price adjustments on previous purchases. No rain checks. While quantities last. No pre-orders. SELECTION & BRANDS WILL VARY BY STORE: All colours, patterns and styles may not be available in all stores. Home Outfitters reserves the right to limit quantities. 11.2 H13 All references to regular price are to Home Outfitters' regular price product and does not include already reduced, clearance, smart buys, signature deals and items with .97 & .98 price endings unless otherwise specified. derstand we cannot proceed with growth unless we have a financing plan that does not have any impact on the taxpayers." The review comes on the heels of a unique partnership between Halton and its developers that will see developers pay nearly $1 billion of the required $1.44 billion needed for water, wastewater and transportation for 185 future projects, including 14,000 units, 700 of which involve highdensity apartments. The funding allocation will also accelerate school construction by allowing school boards to purchase sites directly from developers after the sites are acquired by the Region. By getting developers to "front-end" the $961 million of infrastructure, the Region doesn't have to assume that debt and burden of other municipalities in its operating budget, paving the way for a zero per cent property tax increase. The Region currently has significant up-front costs that need to be paid for infrastructure improvements. Halton is concerned the Province could limit its future flexibility to find funds for necessary infrastructure construction as it undertakes its first review since 1997. The last review had a dramatic impact on Halton's finances, Scinocca said. "Growth doesn't pay for growth," Scinocca said. Until 1999, Halton was able to recover 100 per cent of its growth costs from development charges. But after a Provincial review, regions basically could only recover 100 per cent of water, waste water and road costs from developers. Now, Halton can't recover costs from such things as paramedics, vehicles, affordable housing, shelter, police, Go Transit, hospitals and waste management. On average, the Region can't recover approximately $10.6 million annually from these services, Scinocca said. "Since 2000, the accumulated costs are about $148 million and if it continues until 2031, these costs will be almost $340 million," Scinocca said. In addition to being allowed to recover all funded costs through development charges, Halton also wants the Province to remove all mandatory exemptions. By 2041, Halton will double its size and become the fastest-growing municipality in the GTA, Scinocca said. Halton has $5.6 billion worth of infrastructure planned over the next 20 years of which $1.7 billion is needed for projects between 2012-15, Scinocca said. Without the flexibility to work deals such as the one Halton recently did with its developers, the municipality would reach its debt capacity within 20 years and not be able to collect development charges fast enough to pay for its debt charges, forcing increased property taxes.