WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 13, 1985, PAGE 3 Durham property tax to increase by 5.2 % this year ev ihu c i c-- me regionnw ,ro The regional portion of the average Whitby resident's property tax bill will increase by 5.2 per cent this year. At a special meeting held last Wednesday, Durham Regional Council struck a budget that calls for total ex- penditures of just over $145 million, of which $32 million will be raised from the property tax- payers. The average Whitby resident will pay $221.93 in regional property taxes this year, a jump of $10.51 over 1984. This amount in addition to the taxes imposed by the Town of Whitby and the Durham Board of Education. According to Coun. Jim Witty (Ajax), chairman of regional council's finance com- mittee, Whitby's in- crease could have been much higher if it weren't for the town's 5.8 per cent growth in assessment. The biggest chunk of the regional budget will be spent by the Durham Regional Police Force. At $22.7 million, operating the police for- ce accounts for almost half of all the money levied on the local property taxpayer. However, the region will receive just over $5 million per household grants from the provin- cial government to help offset the cost of police service. General government - that is, the operation of council, the chairman's office, the chief ad- ministrative officer's, clerk's, solicitor's, development and per- sonnel departments - will cost $2.76 milliot. this year Operating the finance department will cost $1.55 million, the plan- ning department $1.3 million while the public works department will require $7.7 million from the general tax- payer. The region will also make $1.04 million in transfer payments to local conservation authorities and $1.09 million to the Children's Aid Society. The social services department will spend just over $7 million in property tax money this year to provide such services as general welfare assistance, homes for aged, family counselling and day care. It should be noted that much of the depar- tment's $39.6 million budget is provided by provincial government grants and other recoveries. The region will also spend a total of $40 million on its water and sewer system, however, that money is recovered through the user fee. Waste disposai will cost $3.2 million all but $660,000 of which will be charged to those municipalities who dump garbage at regionally owned and operated landfill sites. The $660,000 will come from the general levy and Witty says that this is the first time the tax- payer has been asked to subsidize this service. The region's $140 budget, represents a $10.6 million increase over last year's expen- ditures and Witty said in an interview after the meeting that he was pleased that the region was able to keep taxes down to a reasonable level without cutting back service. Witty noted that the average taxpayer will pay between $3 and $15 -more in regional taxes this year, depending on what municipality he lives in. "And that is not a significant amount," he said, "And there is no decrease in the level of service." The Ajax councillor also noted that the regional tax hike is in keeping with the four per cent inflation rate and that the region will not debenture any capital projects this year. The region also ear- ned a $5.4 million sur- plus last year of which $1.75 came from the general tax levy. The rest came from "profits" earned by the water and sewer system. Witty says that in- Over 14,000 local people out of work The number of clients unemployed and registered for work at the Canada Em- ployment Centres in Ajax, Whitby and Oshawa for the month of February totalled 14,513. Placements in the three offices totalled 582 for the month, which compares to a total of BABY TIME Beginning Mar. 18, the Whitby Public Library will be accep- ting registration for its spring session of "Baby Time" - an eight weejc program of simple stories and rhymes for infants 10 to 19 months 416 placements during January. The majority of clients were registered in clerical and related; sales; ser- vice; product fabricating, assembling and repairing; con- struction trades; material handling and related. During February, the of age ana an accom- panying adult. The program is'of- fered Tuesday morning haginning April 9. Children may be registered in one of the following sessions: 9:45 to 10:05 a.m.; 10:30 to 10:50 a.m.; or, 11:15 to 11:35 a.m. greates employment opportunities existed in personal and household services; food and beverage; health and social services; provin- cial government ser- vices; wholesale and retail trade; special trade contracting. In February, 27 new trainees started in In- dustrial Training Programs; six on the job training and 21 ap- prentices, at a cost of $56,736. These people will benefit from both training and em- ployment in the Region of Durham. At the end -of February, there were 268 students in the skill courses sponsored by the Canada Em- ployment Centre and 67 people receiving academie upgrading at Durham College. crease of using the sur- plus to decrease the tax rate, the money will be used to help lessen the region's debt load. Durham currently budgets $15 million a year in debenture payments. "And that....is a very large mortgage payment," he said adding that if the region continues with its pay-as-you-go program it could be debt free by the middle-1990's. The finance chairman. told the Free Press that the region had to main- tain the same level of service. He noted that the region's snow ciear- ning budget will be overexpended this year. "The people expect (the roads to be cleared) and they have a right to expect it," he said. And the only way to have reduced the tax in- crease would have been to cut back on regional services. "We can always have a lower taxes, but that means we have to eut- out service to people," Witty said, "This is a budget that will provide the same level of service." -OT IC E The Custom Cover Sale O ORDERS TAKENNOW 77 McALLISTElRS 70 ROSSLAND RD. W., OSHAWA 576.6465 Mon.. 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