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,/Region surplus to go to reserves, jcapital transportation program The Canadien Champion, Tuesday, April 2, 2002-5 BY RICHARD VIVIAN The Champion Halton Region will put a $20 million surplus into a capital transportation program and reserve funds despite the efforts of several councillors to offer a tax break. 1Ifs important to recognize that tise majority of tise surplus cornes from non- reoccumrng items," said Jane MacCaskill, Halton't commissioner of corporate serv- ices. "We don't know how thete figures may change." Tise bulk of tise surplus is the resuit of a $6.4 million decrease in Greater Toronto Ares pooling costs for 2001j and a $1.8 million accrual reversai related to previous OTA pooling years. Tise pooling is a required and fluctuating paymnent made to the Province to offset social service costs. The surplus also represents a $4.5 mail- lion reduction in tise allowancc for tax appeals and $2.5 million in Provincial Offenses revenues from 1998 to 2000. "These numbers <pooling expenses) could change. We have no control over it," Oakville Mayor Ann Mulvale reminded counicil. "We should neyer use this sort of one-time surplus to fund operating costs, because tisat money may not be there next year."1 At Wednesday's meeting, counicil appmoved a staff recomrmendation that saw tise surplus split between tise transportation capital programi ($8,273,528), tise social housing reserve ($3,726,730), tise police debt charge surplus reserve ($694,933) and tise police tax capital reserve ($1,323,855). Several counicillors tpoke against tise surplus distnibution, saying the money, at least in part, sisould be used to decrease taxes. "We aren't reducing taxes that our tax- payers paid too much for, we're simply putting themr in reserves," said Burlington Councillor Jack Dennison. "Somne of tisat money shoulti go back in tise taxpayers' pockets through tax reductions." Added Councillor Rick Malboeuf, "When we have a budget deficit, thse onus is on tise taxpayer to make up that shortfail. I believe that when there's a surplus, some of that should be retumned." But tise surplus is being used to protect taxpayers from spikes in expenses (mostly pooling) in future years, pointed out Regional Chair Joyce Savoline. "We're using tise money to protect the taxpayer from thse spikes that will occur - tiss is not a maybe - in tise future. Reserves aren't a hidden fussd," said tise chair, adding tise Region doesn't deal in deficit budgets. "I'm not in any way embarrassed to say tisas we have healthy reserves, because we are using them in a very responsible way." You won'tbiyeou 2002 CAVALIER VL 2002a INTRIGUEmPoetrinWrrnt 202 LERO GX4 SEDAN applicab e tae -n icespeead cerTan n smi sionied 4w h e e l ic ats RECHARDSGNSE RIC DerryDE Rd REIGHase HWYDis 25ke S.t ATS DE R Ad M L ONSrSe