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Dierences surface over 'big picture' finance idea Tho Canadman Champion, usaday, June 22, 1999-I By IRENE GENTLE The Champion Burlington regional Councillor John Taylor is calling for a frnancial vision for'Halton, but Oakville colleague Stephen Sparling isn' t convinced that the vision won't turn into a nightmare. Soaning growth couts, combined with downloading expenses, need to be looked at in one big package, said Mr. Taylor at a recent plan- ning and public works budget comn- mittee meeting. -We need a new financial plan, a new financial vision to deal with growth needs," bie said. Mr. Taylor said hie will be calling for a new financial blueprint to bu brought to the table at the 2000 budget meetings. There's no need to draw up a whole new financial map, coun- tered Mr. Sparling. 've yet to bu convinced on sup- porting that," bue said. "I've got a lot of confidence in oui financial staff. 1 don't want to approve something that sends the message that eveiything is in jeopardy." The debate continued at a recent joint meeting with aIl three region- aI committes. That meeting also contained information on the Halton Urban Structure Plan (HUSP)." HUSP was created to plan for growth in the region, with an emphasis on Milton and north Oakville. A staff report issued at the meet- ing concluded that Halton should come out ahead in costs as long as development charges continue to bu used to finance new growth. Talk of costs associated with HUSP as well we downloading, now known as local services realignment (LSR), prompted Mi. Taylor to renew his caîl for a big picture financial plan at that meet- ing. He called upon the Region's administration and finance comn- Clarification A recent robbery story that included information about police executing a search warrant at 425 Ontario St. may have caused some confusion. Two addresses of 425 Ontario St. exist on the roadway - 425 Ontaio St. North and 425 Ontario St. South. The residence where the search warrant was conducted was on Ontaio Street South. The Canadian Champion apolo- gizes for any inconvenience or embarrassment. mittee, of which hie is chair, to take s stand on the issue. "What we need is a new financial plan for HUSP, non-HUSP and LSR. We need it alI in one finan- cial package. 1 hope the (adminis- trative and finance) committee will take a leadership role in this." Looking at that big a picture could he too overwhelming for councillors, cautioned Mr. Sparling. "ýCouncillor Taylor was not here during the last council termi," hie said. "We decided at the time that the council was not comfortable approving a package in the $500 million range." Then, council voted to take issues one step at a time, instead of wading through one mega- approval, said Mr. Sparling. "We spent three years grappling with the entire package and then we oejected it," he said. "I think it's important to talk about where we have comne from. That was the his- tory." The Region is going to have to find some way to deal with the dol- lar figures associated with growth, said Oakville Mayor Ann Mulvale. "We are a region that is being pressured to grow. Somehow, we've got to deal with those num- buis. It's stîll sobering when you look at those numbers bot there are real opportsnities out there." Purchase Finance Lease Rate UpTo 36 Months RIcEaRDSGN CEVROLET-OLDSMGBILE - HWY. 25 S. AT DERRY RD., MILTON 1M SALS NO Mon-Thuis .....nm» Fdday ...e.... n" Salufflav...âi4pm SERVICE NOURS Mon.-Fn .... Ouri-6 Tues ........ al i% saturday ......m-2pm