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By DENNIS SMITH Special to Tire Champion Development charges used to fund new school sites have been approved at lower rates than originally proposed. Halton's public and Catholic boards approved new Education Deveîopment Charges (EDC) bylaws recently. The new bylaws will be in effect for 15 years, with a rate structure set for five years. The lawyer reporting to school boards on the matter described the final agreement as a reasonable compro- mise. "This addresses many, but not aIl, of the issues and there was a certain give and take," said Brad Teichman. "The lion's share of sectors are satisfied." He noted the Urban Developmenr Institute of Halton and the Greater Toronto Homebuilders Association had agreed not te appeal the bylaw. And since the bylaw changes weoe favourabte to parties who expressed concems earlier, Mr. Teichman suggested no futlher public meetings would be neces- sEy. The EDCs approved are $874 pet residential unit for the .Haîton District School Board and 15 cents pet square foot of grors foot ares for non-residential developments. For the Catholic board the charges are $689 pet residerttial unit and 19 cents pet square foot for non-residential developments. Board members were told educational development charges were reduced because school capacity num- bers did not match actual inventories and because larger sehools are being built on new land sites. Overaîl EDC rates were reduccd $1 13 pet unit for the public school board and $225 per unit for tIre Catholic school board. Residential developers wîlI hear 85 pet cent of EDCs, while non-residential developers will assume 15 pet cent. The previous ratio was 75-25. The ratio does not affect the dollars school boards will have te purchase properties, but it is an issue for developers, said Lynda Townsend, lawyer for UDI Halton and Greater Toronto Homebuilders. She said the 10-15 pet cent range is the compromise area. Ms Townsend samd attaching the charge te resi- dential units is a good approach because if construc- tion slumps, there wilI be leas need for schools any- way. The lawyer said there were intense negotiations and parties involved wanted to meet the provincial govem- ment's August 31 deadîine for the bylaw, without resorting to appeals. "It's better ro compromise than fight," said Ms Townsend. "Tise development community is very sup- portive of schools being built. A community is not complete unless there are schools." Concem over credit provided for redevelopment of bumt or demolished buildings was expressed by KarI Gonnsen of the Hamilton-Halton Home Buiders Association. He said more than the two-year time limit is needed for the redevelopment credit. Mr. Teichman noted the limits are two years for res- idential redeveîopment but five years for non-resiçlen- tial redevelopment. The public achool board made one amendment to its bylaw - it wilI no longer exempt non-profit altema- r ~j~in St. E. MILTON 878.0931 I rive sehools frora Education Development Charges. Buringron Trusree David Bird said he proposed the amendment because of tbe provincial funding formula, which provides grants on a pet pupil basis. "Should parents pay taxes and have students in other forms of education, that's fine," said Mr. Bird. "But looking at it as a business, by pulling students out, that's costing us money." Oakville Trustee Marianne Hawthorne said il would be mean-spirited to remove the exemption. "We've benefited in the past from these sehools through taxes paid (by parents)," she said. "I don't feel it's the right thing to do. They're providing alter- natives in education." The board voted in favour of the amendment, with Ms Hawthome being the lone dissenter. We would love to hear your story ideas. 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