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The pooling of commercial and industrial assessment the province is now proposing would restrain school boards from spending above the grantfiiling set by the ministry. It would also require the school boards to collect one dollar for the ministry coffers to be redistributed across the province, for every dollar spent over the grant Further, these new tax dollars would not be coming from the region‘s commercial or indusâ€" trial properties, but from residential taxpayers, according to Schlueter. Schlueter agrees restraint is needed in the setting of the 1983 budget, but he said the ministry proposal would mean a 33 per cent reduction. ‘"What the ministry is doing is slapping our wrists for being bad boys and spending over the ceilings to provide the community with the programs and services it needs," he said. The Waterioo County Board of Education has spent over the grant ceiling since 1975. Ray Martin + Chronicle Special George Orwell‘s vision of 1984 might not be that far from the truth should the ministry of education have its way in pooling co>mmercial and industrial assessment. Should the province‘s scheme be implemented educational mill rates in Waterloo Region could well double without any increase in service. Financial administrator for the Waterloo County Board of Education, Gary Schlueter believes the ministry‘s proposal is halfâ€"baked and at a two hour meeting explaining the proposal told municipal officials, ‘"The minister should go back to the drawing board." The local school board which employs approxiâ€" mately 5,000 people could face layâ€"offs of *"‘several hundred," drastic cutbacks would be made in capital expenditures and there would be a loss of local autonomy. Melodee Martinuk Chronicle Staff In terms of attendance, participation and aesthetics Oktoberfest ‘82 was an overwelming success, but Kitchenerâ€"Waterloo Oktoberfest Inc. came out of it with a deficit which eould exceed $12,000, says Oktoberfest president Bill nenaud . ‘"‘We budgeted for a deficit and we‘ll ha!/e one," said. Final budget figures are now being prepared and will be presented to the Oktoberâ€" fest committee later this month. But, Renaud added, ‘"considering the total budget for Oktoberfest is more than $960,000 that deficit is nothing to light the world up ... the budget is pretty high and the deficit is pretty small. The shortfall, largely due to cost overruns in producing the operetta The Student Prince, will be absorbed by the organization thanks to **small profits‘‘ earned in previous years. **Considering the economic times, when other major events in Canada like the Calgary Stampede, Quebec Winter Carnival, the Canaâ€" dian National Exhibition and our Central Ontario Exhibition were in a downer, it was a better Oktoberfest than anyone had anticipatâ€" ed," he said. According to Renaud more people attended the festhalls and cultural events in ‘82 than during the previous year. Attendance at Okâ€" toberfest‘s 70 cultural events alone increased more than 30 per cent from the ‘81 total of 62,000, he said. Approximately 50 members of the Oktoberfest committee gathered at the Valhalla Inn recently for a dayâ€"long seminar to discuss ways to improve the annual Bavarian festival. Oktoberfest is just starting its 15th year of operations and in that time Renaud said, it has grown into an internationallyâ€"known event, designated by the American Bus Association as one of the top six attractions in Canada and one of the top 100 attractions in North America. ‘‘That‘s pretty positive,"" he said. Despite this, Renaud said, the organization is continually looking for ways to improve the festival; "we‘ve set up a task force to do some long and shortâ€"range planning for Oktoberfest in Oktoberfest big success despite r financial loss | : Education ministry, proposal ‘halfâ€"baked‘ _says administrator An increase of between 35 to 50 per cent could be expected. 4 According to North Dumfries trustee Dave Barrie the situation faced in the townships is really nothing new. ‘‘This isn‘t the first time this sort of thing has happened. It happened when the county school board Wfi\‘(){l::d and now they‘re saying it might happen again. We‘ll just have to wait and ""see what happens," Barrie said. The president of ALSBO also stated that if the ministry were allowed to implement the scheme, it would not be too long before the ministry of municipal affairs did the same. "It would be just too much of a temptation to resist," he said. One of the ideas behind the scheme, Kent said, is to help in the transfer of funds to poorer school boards to increase their programs. But this, Kent said, could well lead to those boards taking advantage of the situation and ‘"inventing needs to get new programs that won‘t have to be paid for by local taxpayers." Bil} Kent, president of the Association of Large School Boards of Ontario (ALSBO), who was present at the presentations, said the ministry in making the proposal is trying to correct the inequities in the present grant system and at the same time implement a restraint program. Implementation of the ministry‘s "model," according to Kent would mean 94 school boards in the province would have to increase their taxes, vyhile only 27 school boards would be cutting Thirteen applications have been received from marketing consultants and a final selection Will be made as soon as the Ministry of Culture and Recreation approves Wintario funding. And initial request to the Ministry for the grant, Renaud said, was "favorably received..‘" The survey, which will take 14 months to complete, could get underway next month, with a preliminary report available for the 1984 Oktoberfest seminar. It will be done by more than 150 students from the University of Gueiph and Wilfrid Laurier University. A second recommendation arising out of Saturday‘s discussion which the Oktoberfest committee will be acting on, Renaud said, is one to provide more comprehensive orientation , to both old and new festival volunteers ‘"so people who work at Oktoberfest know more about it." Estimated cost of such a survey is $22,000. Early in ‘82 Oktoberfest Inc. approved the project if oneâ€"half the funding were to come from Wintario. the coming year," he explained. ‘‘*We want to do a full survey of thoughts on Oktoberfest and what direction it should take. ‘‘Our 15th year is coming up and it is time for something like this." mented Schlueter said taxes in Cambridge could see a hike of 25 to 30 per cent. In Waterioo the results would be an increase of 12 per cent in the residential mill rate and, "the people in the townships would really be getting the shaft," Schlueter said. If the ministry‘s proposal were to be impleâ€" We enc Figtea®" FEBRUARY 4 m,\mmm/mdmmmm Brampton. Mr. Squires is a well known perennial plant authority, and lectures regularly at Horticultural Schools and Garden Clubs throughout Ontario. Mr. Squires perennial collection includes plants from many parts of the world. He currently grows over 2000 varieties of perennials. Lecture and slide presentation. Friday, February 4 10 a.m. â€" 12 noon registration and reserved seats only. Call or write Kâ€"W School of Horticulture 419 Phillip St., Waterioo, 884â€"1077 * & * _ JANUARY 27 Mr. Douglas Hale, president of Wilson Laboriteries Incorporated. Mr. Hale well known in the field of Home Garden Chemical Products, will be Iecmringatthel(-WSchwlofllorflcnlmonufetyandtheueol common insecticides and fungicides for home gardeners. Spring Garden Flower Show March 11th & 12th * WATERLOO CHRONICLE, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 19, 1983 â€" Thursday, January 27 10:15 â€" 12 noon Kâ€"W Scllool of Horticulture