WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 1980, PAGE 5 Region is still without a budget; waitmg now for provmcial aid package By MICHAEL KNELL Free Press Staff The Region of Durham is still without a budget despite a recommendation from a special . committee that would reduce taxes by five -per cent across the board for all regional municipalities. The reason for the delay is a verbal promise from the provincial goverment to increase funding to sub- sidize levy increases due to the new equalization factors and the falling behind of per capita grants. The special committee was set up by regional coun- cil three weeks ago in an ef- fort to preverit taxes from going up in five of the eight regional municipalities by anywhere from 17 to 20 per cent. If the committee proposed to cut taxes by $1,016,343 is accepted by council, taxes wil drop by five per cent which means that there would be no increase for Whitby taxpayers in the regional levy. The committee, composed of Regional Chairman Walter Beath, the chairman of the five standing commit- tees and the chairman of the Durham Regional Police Commission, has recom- mended cuts in the net ex- penditures budget (money raised directly through taxes) so that grants and subsidies from the province would not be affected. The recommendations hit the public works, police and social services departments the hardest with cuts of $178,200, $135»00 and $121,943 respectively. In an effort to meet the $135,000 budget cut, the Durham Regional Police Force will defer the pur- chase of replacement police vehicles until the 1981 budget. This will save the region $115,000. The $20000 balance will be found by the police department throughout the year. The public works budget will be cut by defering the purchase of new vehicles and equipment as well as the deferal of the construction of a sait shed at the Man- chester depot. The social services depar- tment will not get an ad- ditional famiîly counsellor in the general welfare assistance division and tem- porary help will not be hired when others are on vacation or leave. Also, the social services department will forgo the hiring of a private in- vestigator to investigate welfare fraud cases. Some capital projects at the region's homes for the aged will be deferred until 1981. To help make up some of the losses, intermediate care rates at these homes will be increased to $19 a day. The region will also sell a piece of property that was originally purchased for a new day care centre in Oshawa. This sale should produce at least $50,000 for the region. Council members will not be compensated for atten- ding conventions for the rest of the year, and their ac- cident insurance policy wili be cancelled. These and other cuts will produce the $1 million in reduced expenditures that the council ordered three weeks ago. However, regional council tabled the report and the recommendations of the special committee because of the promise of additional help from the province. Regional Councillor John Aker of Oshawa, chairman of the finance committee, supported the tabling motion because he didn't want to see the budget passed until the complete package from the province was received. Council was told that the province will subsidize the 4' f levy increases due to the equalization factors up to five per cent. For example, the factors gave Ajax a tax increase of 5.5 per cent and under the latest provincial proposai this would now only be one-half of one per cent. Whitby will not be affected by this, this year and the levy in this category ac- tually went down by 3.4 per cent for 1980. The matter will come up for discussion again at the regional council meeting of April 30 at which time, staff said it hoped to have all the information available. Wbile Whitby is in good stead financially within the region, many politicians have said that the town may not be so lucky next year. Region to build road for Lasco In an effort to assist in the expansion of Lasco Steel's Whitby operations, Durham Regionai Council has ap- proved a proposal that would see Wentworth Street extended west of Thickson Road. At its last regular meeting, council approved a public works committee proposal to install sanitary sewers and watermains along the proposed exten- tion. While the region will call the tenders and issue the debentures to initially pay for the project, Lasco and Orlando Corporation (acorss whose lands the extention would run) will reimburse the regional taxpayer. The project, which is due to be both started and com- pleted sometime this year according to a public works department spokesman, will cost a total of $168,000. In a written report to CHARTERS TO FLORIDA TAMPA FROM $149 MLAMI FROM $159 BOOK 14 DAYS IN ADVANCE Limited seats 7da vs prior- chec k. A lso check fJr inforintwion 1on long sta ys. Thru tii October 26/ '80 185 BROCK ST. N. esley s WHITBY Corner of Brock & Mjry 668-7955 Travel . Stay Young ..... Have Fun . ...Travel!-A NEVER WAX council, public works com- missioner Bill Twelvetrees said that the project is being undertaken at the request of the company. The reason for the request is that Lasco wants to improve their in- ternal traffic flow. When the project·is com- pleted, Lasco will use the Wentworth extention for receiving and their present Hopkins Street access for shipping. The extention runs through Orlando Cor- poration's lands and while no projects for the area have been announced, Whitby Regional Councillor Bob At- tersley, a member of the public works committee, said that it will be advan- DEl TO'1 &I tageous to them because it "opens up their land for them." He emphasized at "Orlan- do and Lasco will pay all the costs, there will be no cost to the region." Attersley also said that the companies will also pay for the road itself although it will be built to Town of Whitby specifications. The town will also call for the tenders for the road con- struction in the near future, Attersley said. W EHPRESS FGRK IDES YGRKDRLE There's a new fast way to get to York Mills and Yorkdale Subway stations. As of April 27, express GO Bus leaves Oshawa at 0655 hrs., Whitby at 0708 hrs., and Ajax at 0720 hrs. operating express to York Mills at 0800 hrs., Yorkdale at 0810 hrs. Return trip leaves Yorkdale at 1630 hrs., York Mills at 1700 hrs. Local GO Bus services via Highway 2 all day every day between Oshawa, Pickering and North Metro - six days a week between Oshawa and Bowmanville. GO Buses from Oshawa, Whitby and Ajax connect with all the GO Trains at Pickering for service into downtown Toronto. INFORMATION " re 1-800-268-1983 toll free Hon. 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