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In Newmarket Aurora Homeowners face recordhigh taxes I TRADING DAY FESTIVAL THIS WEEK Buckskin fringed voyageur Rf ck Clayton and his bearded friend Bob Holden ply heir paddles on Fairy Lake as they practice for this Saturdays Trading Day canoe race The two arent really century fur traders they are the of the race Although Saturday is festival day the travelling carnival coming to town for the event will open for business Thursday morning In the parking lot For a full schedule of Festival events see page NEWMARKET Newmarket and Aurora homeowners are facing recordhigh tax in creases this year with the average tax bill in both towns creeping close to the mark A Newmarket home assessed at will raise about in taxes this year Thats an Increase of more than over last year In Aurora the owner of an assessed at is expected to incur a tax bill of about an increase of over last year Newmarket Council finalized Us 1975 budget last week and was able to lower the tax bill for town operations by about on the average home But increases levied by York Region and the regional board of education pushed the total tax burden to a record height Aurora Council is expected to approve Its THE Sine NEWMARKET AURORA KESWICK ONTARIO JUNE Newmarket hit hardest by increase York Region tax bill up 24 police budget cut by 200000 promised with its land division on the chopping block and handed ratepayers a per cent average lax in crease for The region finalized its budget Thursday afternoon devoting most its debate to Hie police estimates settled on a 200000 cut in lie police budget after previously asking reductions of 500010 and 300000 from permit the hiring of jo officers The originally requested Council also refused to grant iiV I hi I ImiMun k budget request of leaving intact its previous allotment of for the year The committee already has spent about in property government The owner of a home assessed at will pay for regional purposes up from last year will absorb the lowest increase among Yorks municipalities A In King Township a home will raise S for the regions coffers an increase of Would he settle for sainthood NEWMARKET Police Chief Bruce Crawford found himself being compared with God last week It was not im mediately evident whether the comparison was favorable During a regional council discussion on the police budget Markham Councillor Bob Adams suggested that Chief Crawford is an excellent administrator and as such could find a way the budget cuts decreed by council You dont want a police chief you want God quipped Chief Crawford with a smile If Hes available well have Him said Councillor Adams Some people think weve got God interjected Aurora Mayor Evelyn Buck good naturedly Im pleased to hear that the chief replied as council erupted in laughter A date with the chief NEWMARKET York Regions police chief asked Aurora Mayor Evelyn Buck for a date during Thursdays regional council meeting It all started when Richmond Hill Councillor Gordon Rowe suggested that council members accompany policemen in their cruisers to find out what happens in this municipality at night He said he was certain the experience would waken up councillors who are skeptical of the quality of Yorks police service Thats an excellent idea said Chief Bruce Crawford It could start tonight 1 would be the first to volunteer and take Mrs Buck in a police car Its a date chirped Mayor Buck Take her up to Georgina for the best show added Gcorgina Mayor George Burrows will raise up while in East the regions share of the tax on a home also will be up Other rates based on 20000 assessment Whitchurch up Markham 109 up 20 Rich ie ndllill9iup17 Vaughan 120 up MILLION BILL The total region tax bill is just under million Thats a per cent increase over last year but is partly offset by a nine per cent increase in assessment The regions Land Division Committee now faces a financial crunch and unless council changes its tune the committee will likely have to reduce its NO NTS deal with a motion to fill three vacancies on the ninemember committee which rules on all land severance applications within the region Newmarket Mayor Bob suggested council disband the present LDC setup budget next week But Mayor Evelyn Buck said Monday that Aurora homeowners can expect a threemill increase this year That would amount to on a home assessed at School board officials refused Monday to disclose the boards mill rates for the individual municipalities but a spokesman said the average for the region will be 15 mills That means a tax bill for education on a home assessed at 20000 Council also has not finalized its budget but its homeowners also will be hit with increases from the region and school board Mayor George Burrows said he expects the levy for municipal operations to be down slightly from 1974 e details on the local tax picture School fox rote up AURORA An 1B5 per cent increase over the mill rate is predicted for the York Region board of education levy or an additional on a home assessed at a board spokesman said Friday The board on May 26 ap proved a total budget of million based on board spen ding to the grant ceiling in elementary education and to the expenditure ceiling in secon dary the anticipated average mill rate for 1975 Is 15 mills said John Weber board assistant superintendent of business and finance However elementary teachers are still lobbying for were higher than the regional average while Georgina Township taxpayers paid less Actual municipal mill rates for 1975 will be presented to the board at its regular meeting Monday night The board budget represents per pupil in elementary education of which 516 per cent is covered by provincial grants If the board increases this panel to the ex penditure ceiling or the increase will come from municipal levies appoint a threeperson or five- person body and run it like it should be run The only budget cuts adopted Thursday were from an administration section of the engineering budget and 13800 from its allotment for grants to organizations During the police budget debate Chief Bruce Crawford said he would have to take 13 officers off the road and put them into specialized work if council didnt grant sufficient funds to hire new men can make do without it the money for new per sonnel the chief said But I say to you that the service that we will provide to this com munity will be decreased Chief Crawford also told council If you are prepared to accept a decrease in the police force in this day and age I must question whether you recognize what youre doing He claimed that the demand for police service is increasing that crime will shoot up this summer and that the force is simply unable to cope with the demand any longer Next time look in the window when he broke Into a house here Saturday night The owner of the house had just purchased It and hadnt moved In The thief entered through an unlocked sliding door and found himself in an empty The best he could do was to grab a few carpet remnants i infill MINOR BASEBALL SEASON OPENS youngsters who play In the Newmarket Baseball Association program After Mayor Bob got four strikes to bat out the first ball during the opening ceremonies games involving 19 house league teams were played at the Fairgrounds For results of games and news of a special award presentation to umpire Mel Roberts please turn to page Georgina municipal employees take strike vote KESWICK Township unionized employees angered by nonunion staff settlements as high as 17 per has been without a contract since March and three meetings one of them with a provincial conciliator failed to produce a settlement A strike by the townships estimated unionized workers would result in about half of employees walking off the job At the Civic Centre in Keswick the hub of township administrative activity about per cent of the employees are unionized Council has apparently mapped out contingency plans to maintain limited services in the event of a strike the Era has learned Yesterdays and senior staff Council negotiators and representatives for Local of the Canadian Union of Public llor How chairman of the townships team said the two figures cant be compared fairly in light of previous wages paid to the roads department It appears roads department employees have been a little behind he said in an interview Friday While 15 per cent offered the 174 per cent accepted by the roads department will raise the hourly wage to per hour still slightly below the minimum paid to regional road workers Councillor Shillington ex plained Despite the disparity Local 1323 president Sally LaPeare said support for the union is mushrooming as a result of he the roads and senior staff wages she said Militancy among card carrying members has also strengthened Mrs of the nonunion raises sparked a bitter debate Negotiating team members charged that approval of the raises would scuttle their talks with the union We tried to negotiate in the interests of the municipality per cent across board lets give 17 per cent Strengthening support for union isnt just limited to its own ranks township sources said One source estimated that CUPE has gained support from as high as per cent of the townships management level staff really strengthened preceding councils approval of said Councillor Bruce Welch since May 26 meeting added another member Union officials were par ticularly critical of Mayor George Burrows statement at the May session that an nouncement of 17 per cent non union increases wont jeopardize councils stand in the talks I think we do feel were being discriminated against e page