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Town delivers on a tax eut of. about $85 By IRENE GENTLE The Champion budge tory that> came ouhoea The good news bde tr htcm u fa onmd" vr early May administration and planning committee got - even better once it reached Town council on Monday. dfoth Council approved an $8.6 million operating budget t" y : that will trim the average property tax bill by 3.4 per....1............. cent. U Àf Though Town staff achieved a tax freeze when they combined Milton's tax rate with Halton Region's, a winter maintenance. newly announced 10 per cent cut in residential educa- Mfter being walloped by January's major storm tion taxes plunged the freeze into an actual decrease. council has decided to play it safe by increasing th Overall, the owner of as $185,000 home will pay $85 winter budget by $24,000 for the st three months less in taxes this year. 1999. "We're passing along that entire reduction," said In addition, extra money bas been put into reserve Town treasurer Jim McQueen. Overai, $1 .5 million bas been funneled into reservi That's almost a fairy tale ending - and the final in 1999. That's on top of providing funding for hirin chapter - to an ongoing tax story that seemed to three new fuli-time floeflgbters. cbange slightly each time it was raised at council or "It's a great bottom lime budget story. You can committee. where we've upped the services," said Mr. McQuee Though the tax rate bas decreased, the actual tax "It's very good for the Town and also very good f levy bas increased. the taxpayers." That means Town staff has been able to put7 w w $350,000 towards beefing Up services while still comn- / in i it a veal axcu.Skilts winners Much of the additional $350,000 stems from the re- Several local students took home medals for the Thatn bas pouredexal oey noth eiosm talents at the recent Skills Olympics in which varioa of which bas been passed on to the municipalities in hischool shospriiae tEC nr i the formi of tax cues.Sco. The end resuit is more money in Town coffers. The E.C. Drury winners were Craig Radcliffe a Measures such as recalculating councillor stipends Crystal Newton (Gold - Intemet), Sara Doutre (Go also helped to bring additional cash to the table. - Graphic design), Will CaswelI (Gold - Deskt% When the budget was originally drawn up, full com- publishing), Noah Hicks and Jarrod Blinch (Gold- pensation for each councillor was factored in Television production), Crystal Newton (Silver- The amended version takes into account that some Culinary arts) and Cheryl Cracknall (Silver- councillors have taken voluntary psy cuts. The oesult Baking). is a surplus of almost $12,000 in tbe budget. Winners from Milton District High School we That bas allowed staff to hand residents a tax cut Ryan Sinanan andi Alex Hooper (Silver - Deskti wbile juicing up certain services, such as improved publishing). Tho Canadan Chmolani. Tu.sdav. Mav 25. 199-3 S, ie of S. n. Dr i Id 'p re Jsin Irèi 2.9 FINANCINO3 on the ail NEW '99 SIERRA FULL SIZE PICKUP (48 MONTH NO LIMIT