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4 - The Canadian Champion, F7riday, June 19, 1998 Growth plan passes major, and probably its last hardie ARE YOU INTERESTED IN KNOWING MORE ABOUT VOUR CURRENT VALUE ASSESSMENT AND PROPERTY TAXES??? THE COUNCIL 0F THE REGIONAL MUNICIPAIT7Y 0F HALTON intends to hold two public meetings to deal with Current Value Assessment (CVA) and related tax pohicies. Regional Council will be meeting jointly with the four Area Municipal Councils for an Informaion Session relating to Current Value Assessment (CVA) and proposed 1998 Tax Policies on Wednesday, June 24, 1998 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the Regional Council Chambers Regional Council will hear delegations from any/all interested persons or agencies on Thursday, June 25,1998 4:00 p.m. bo 6:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. in the Regional Council Chambers If you have any questions or wish to register as a delegation at thc Thursday, June 25, 1998 meeting, please cal thc Office of the Regional Clerk, prior to 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 25, 1998 at a number isted bclow. The Regional Clerk Regional Municipality of Halton 1151 Bronte Road Oakville, ON L6M 3L 1 Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Telephone: from from fr-om from Joan A. Eaglesham ,Regional Clerk Burlington/Oakvillc Milton/'Toronto (905) 825-«MXX Halton Hills (905) 878-8113 Guelph/Acton (519) 853-0501 Hamnilton/Aldershot (905) 639-4540 ..region.hahon.on.ca 1 6£NrRqL mur 1 By BRAD REAUME The Champion It looks as if Milton will soon be awash in water. A lack of water and water treatment facilities have caused a 15 year moratorium on population growth in Milton. On Wednesday a joint committee ot regional counicillors voted unanimously in favour of financial aspects of the Halton Urban Structure Plan, a nearly $100 million scheme to hring water to Milton and north Oakville. Private developers have contrihuted $62 million to get the pipe built. The pipeline will generate residen- tial construction which, through an estimated $11,000) in special regional development charges per home, will provide the money tb pay back developers. The tinancial plan still needs to he approved hy flUI coun- cil next week. In the end, tears of a water shortage in Burlington may have inspired Burlington counicillors to lend their support. Several Burlington counicillors seemed opposed to the plan in the early stages of debate on Wednesday. However they quickly voiced support when Milton Mayor Gord Kantz suggested a high level of scrutiny be applied to an $85 million upgrade of thc Skyway Waste Water Treatment Plant in Burlington. Without upgrades to that plant Burlington would face a development freeze in as little as 18 months. An angry Mr. Krantz used his trump card after Burlington Councillor Mike Wallace suggested Halton Region maintain some sort of control or approval of specifie development plans in Milton. That planning power rests solely with individual municipalities. Mr. Wallace did eventually support the plan, and suggested that removing development pressure from Burlington and shifting it to Milton and Oakville was his prime motivation. The financial seheme, which was supposed to have no impact on existing taxpayers, calîs for a $10.6 mil- lion revolving boan to be paid into the project from Halton reserves. Despite the fact the boan will be repaid by develop- EÀIa Ià I [ crs as construction proceeds, some counicillors saw it as a violation of counicil instructions and were loathe to support it. In addition some counicillors said that $4 million which will he unrecoverable through developmnent charges on industrial expansions is a further charge to Halton community. Joe Rinaldo, Halton's commissioner of finance, said these industrial development charges cannot be col- lected due te, provincial legislation and therefore can't bc considered a cost to the community associated only with HUSP. Oakville Councillor Keith Bird said he did not want to sec Mr. KTantz trotting businessmen down to Halton Regirin requesting a waiver on aIl development charges in order to entice business mbt Milton. An angry Mr. Krantz, hardly able to contain himself, loudly told Mr. Bird that Oakville politicians should bc careful not to do the same thing. Just as the debate threatened to become more confrontational Halton Chair Joyce Savoline insisted on returning the pro- ceedings to order. Several people told committee members to defer the plan. Frank Gue, president of the Taxpayers' Coalition of Halton, said the impact on existing taxpayers is not clear. He added that the assumed growth rate of six eseUNANIMOUS on page 21