The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY MARCH 1-6, 1980, PAGE 3 Rural taxicrease delays reg*on budget By MICHAEL KNELL Free Press Staf f The majority of municipalities in Durham Region are fighting mad - so mad that the region bas only a semi-official budget. At the iast regular meeting of Durham Regionai Council, approvai was only given for the first and second readings 0f the budget byiaw. The third reading has been tabied un- tii five towns in the region get some satisfaction froni the province over the new equalization factors. While these new factors resulted in only a 5.1 per cent net impact on Whitby taxpayers; those in Ajax, Brock, Newcastle, Scugog and Uxbridge will have to pay anywhere from 17.2 to 19 per cent more this year. And this does not include increases in' taxes from either the local. councils or the Durham Board of Education. According to finance committee chairman, Coun- cillor John Aker 0f Oshawa, these new equalization factors were only introduced by the provincial gover- niment of few weeks ago and are outside the control of the council. Aker also said that the an- ticipated assessment growth has increased from 3.2 to 3.5 per cent and this offset these increases, however slightly. He toid council that the in- crease represents a "shift from urban to rural" in assessment although he ad- mitted that the "province 's timing was poor, " especially with the coming 0f a municipal election later this year. As the debate over the budget carried on into the late afternoon, councillor af- ter councillor stood up to protest these increases in taxes on the rural municipalities. 1I frankly don't think we should accept this," Ajax Mayor Clark Mason toid council. Oshawa Councillor Alan Dewar said "it is not that the Region 0f Durham is spen- ding too much money. The province uses a different set of rules. " Dewar admitted that there was an "element of truth" that the rural municipalities were payîng so much because of regional gover- liment. "The problem is going on everywhere there is two-tier governmnent," he said. "The problem is right across the province. " "The program was îl thought out," Dewar said pointing out that "it was the province that decided to establish equalized assessment based on 1978 market values." However, Dewar main- tained that "these shifts are not occuring because of the conscious efforts of the Region of Durham" although he added that "6property tax reform would soive the problem. " "This kind of impact is going to hit no matter what kind of two-tier government you're in," Whitby Mayor Jim Gartshore said. The A group of Brooklin businessmen say that their businesses wili not survive unless their properties are included in a commercial area in the proposed expan- sion of Whitby's northern hamiet. Jim Hughes, the owner of Brooklin Flour Milis on Casseis Road told the ad- ministrative committee of Whitby Town Council iast week that the suggested rezoning of the businesses from commercial to residen- tial is "a direct threst to the livelihood of selected small businessmen in Brooklin." IlWe stand to lose finan- ciaily and business-wise," Hughes said. "This proposal unfairly select.s businessmen in Brooklin who do not fali in the major commercial area and penalizes them. " The proposed officicai plan amendnient that was presented to a public meeting in Brookiin two weeks ago said that the downtown area north of Cassies Road and west of the Lynde Creek is to be rezoned commercial. Businesses now holding a commercial zoning are to be rezoned residential along equalization factors "are not the region's but the provin- ce' s." 'II suggest that a hell of a lot of people will not have the money to pay t.his," he said adding that "we have every right to go and demand that the province expiain itseif." "'They have perpetrated somet.hing on this region that they cannot handie," Gartshore said. However, not ail members of council had sympathy for the five municipalities. Oshawa Mayor Jim Pot- ticary said that the shift in assessment means that the municipalities will be paying their own way for regional governent. III feel we (the. City of Oshawa) have been carrying quite a ioad," Pot- ticary said. "The province has been equaiizing the pressure on how much we with aimost ail the remaining land in the development envelope. This rezoning proposai would allow the busin esses to continue operating, however, it wouid forbid thern froni selling to or set- ting up another kind of operation. The businessmen say that this is discriniinatory and they want the proposai changed. "Our argument is those properties are zoned com- mercial now," Hughes said. "We are not asking for a change of zoning; we are asking for the status quo." "The failure to recognize these existing commercial areas, some of which have been around for 130 years, is unfair, " he said. The businessmen received support from North Ward Councillor Bob Carson, who Hughes pointed out as one of the property owners within the major commercial area. No decision ofi the businessmen's concerns wili be made until after ail the public comments are taken into consideration. The decision will come down probably in the middle of next month._ IMORFGAGES I are child's play atVictoria andGrey. We take the mystery out of Mortgages. Our experienced and knowledgeabte counsellors wiII see that your mortgage is: Clearly explaîned, tailored to your needs and processed quickly. If you need a mortgage boan put Victoria and Grey into the picture and let us help you. Contact us in Whitby at: 308 Oundas St W 668-9324 Toronto uine 683-7189 pay."t Potticary also accused somne of his fellow coun- ciliors for spending too much money with too littie thought when it came to such things as the OHAP plan and the $6 million proposai to build a new or rejeuvenate the old regionai headquarters building. Another Oshawa coun- cillor, Alan Piikey said that "the 'people in this room (regional council members) have ignored the reality (of regional government) in the moment of the day. " The costs of regional government have been 1"brought back into balance" Our Whitby Store 's MOVING Pilkey said. "IWe are now seeing the cost of the structure of regionai government," he said adding that the short term solution was increased provincial aid to help cushion the immediate im- pact on the rural taxpayer. Almost every councillor did agree, however, that tht, controversy. over the 316 P equalization factors concer- ns ail eight regional municipalities and the blame for it rests with the provincial government. Aker said t.hat whiie the region sits down and draws up a budget, they do not have total control over the money that they spend or even how the money is raised. SAINDGAS WOOD AND THINOS %Ibert St., OsIawa 723-5165 " R.dken P.rm - .$50 TUESDAY . ..$25 " Henna Prm . .. $40 TUESDAY ... $20 e Zotos Perm . - - $45 TUESDAY.. S2250 *Wollo Balsam Perm .......$35 TUESDAY. .$1750 Brooklin businesses protest rezonm g TYPEWRITERS RENTIT E LF (,Tl q IC eLATEST MODELIýý--i *IBM SELECTRIC -CORRECTORS " OLYMPIA *ADDING MACHI'NES " UNDERWOOD oELECTRONIC CALCULATORS " SMITH CORONA -DICTATION UNITS " TELEPHONE ANSWERING MACHINES DANFORTH TYPEWRITER 408 Dundas Street VVest 2940 Danforth Ave Whitby Toronto 666-1131 Sales &Service 698-2589 est. 1930 TUESDAY Is PERM DAY SCISS<ORS ALL PERms v2d PRICE Wh 1t by 668-4100 a Schwarzkope Perm... $30 I TUESDAY. .. $15 NEARLY NEW SHOP 04 601. Dundas St. We 6 868-1WIITBY TOWN PLAZA VKTrOR1A AND GREY TRUST L-