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0.. . WEDNESDAY. DECEMBER ll, 20:3 . wanoo, ONTARIO * s1 INCLUDING HST '. motnolandmedia ”I-” C'ty t ‘ cm LIFE ‘ _ Volunteer honoured t t ' » . I a ‘ A. for helpingout SC 0 go , - 1”,, local kids/Page 11 up 1.25% »~ , . l in 2014 t i. Bv JAMES IMiKSOh ‘7 ‘ ('Iirnnit'lt'lrflh 7 ‘ ttv councillors approved a 1.5) I. per cent tax increase on Mon day night. adding approxir ' ‘ mately $15.42 to the average home 57 - “r" asst-wad at 5323.000 in 2014. I - *3: L» The final year of the four-year . 'j ~ ‘ phase-in of the stomiwater utility fee u I "f 4 11%;! BUSINESS. is the primary driver of the hike. rep» ... (I v“; Home heating business resenting about one per cent of the JAR j A“; sharing the warmth overall increase. The property tax per» “a” 3; 7 withfamilies in need tion of the bill is set to go up by "u 17 0.23 percent. 3 Page Including stormwater and water , i y ,. V rate hikes. residents should expect to .\ . , . y” 1 »â€" N '- pay about $50 more for city services in “If. . r ~ ’ ' 20H than they did this past year, " . ’5’ Councillors viewed this latest m-wvmm budget as a balanced approach to fis- Hold still CZ] reriponsibtlity and faunas to tax ‘ The Stuffin Stockings Elves at Play event Saturday featured a visit from Santa and a performance from a p yew , orked a“ h rd t it local magician as volunteers collected stockings and stocking stuffers for the local charity drive. it also 7. .1 our $532“ at a; 13;! mfg :53 included some other kid-friendly activities. Phys McCloskey get: iii; face painted like Pikad‘ru by Zina Lavut ' “ sible.’ said Mayor Brenda Halloran ‘ at The S at Waterloo Town Square. ‘, following Monday‘s meeting. . . o o c “We think a 0.23 per cent tax C M a] P I d mm. is WWW. by mm mm“, 1 t y to [CVICW un101p 1' ICE I1 8X . '~,d'till‘trovideall $2313: r3); expect :11: run this Bylaws [may ics who have spent the last few 2006 budget process. MP] is calcu- city in an efficient and effective % months mm the city‘suscof lated yearlybyexamlning theb‘E‘ mam,“ - the controversial tax tool and ket ofgoods the city must pay for 0“,, the past four was. [am have iven the negative percep. comparing it to other municipali- each year. including staff salaries mcm‘wd by 6.81 W; Wm Subtract tion surrounding the City ties across the country. and compensation. sewer costs. m mg mp W,',mwau., phasein (we, ofWaterioo's use of Munic- '(MPI) suffers from trans- energy (electricity and water) and ”,0“, four years. the net property tax tpal Price Index to set its annual parency issues." said Danny Pcr- other expenditures .mma‘. has been 257 percent. tax rate increase. financial staff sand. 3 member of the Lauri" But critics, specifically the I, 1‘ “me, this yea, council approved should shift to a modified version team. ”Based on negative public member: of the city's former (Iiti- - of 6"} m Municipal Price Index at 125 per ofthe Consumer Prim-Index perception. it is not a great tool." zens' Budget Task Force, have ‘ l mm and city rules prohibit tax That's just part of the recom- The fact no governing body has been critical of its small sample lnCn’ahfS to exceed that number. mendations coming from MBA accredited MP] as a legitimate size and lack ofcomparables. students from the Wilfrid laurier tool means it is open to criticism. (lontlnuedon [”897 School of Business and Econom- Developed during the clty's Continuation" lo “ . l " .l r :---/‘\' r. n . ,V .. ‘* , - ', /:1{:‘f\;~ , 1:!"331 1323'," ’ ‘ l ' “Hike. :1 ’1‘. , h N . , ' ’ i) 4’ ‘0 . r < ' h ' ‘3‘ "Iii/TC! 3375 ‘ W13: ‘ 7/ ”p. . 2i .. ‘1 t ‘ ‘ . s “ » i)”; in 3:7 . W -