' Ofpnb Weekly Times, November 7,1979 -2 ANOTHER DECISION FOR COUNCIL • One thing the Town of Newcastle council members are never far from some form of knotty decision to wrestle with •in one manner or another. The Splash complex proposal in • Bowmanville still confronts council and as yet'they have yet to come up with a clear stand or decision. The latest estimates jumping from $825,000 to $1,183,000 surely is just another example of the problems facing them. • Council has no policy to fall back on and like many of their confrontations they always seem to be breaking new . ground with no regard to policy statements. The Splash project leaves council with three avenues, no support from.the Town, placing the shortfall on the tax bill or using funds from the recreation reserve fund. One could almost rule out placing the cost of the shortfall on the tax bill and this became evident last Monday in Newtonville when no one offered any support for the Town to get involved. Although councilhas appeared to be reluctant to pass a clear decision one way or another they have their backs up against the wall and can hardly say no. The third avenue seems a reasonable course for council. The reserve fund of some $300,000 for recreational purposes has been accumulated for expenditure at some time Or other for such a complex as the proposed indoor pool and squash courts or even some other form of recreational facilities. The lot came from lot levies in the Town of Bowmanville. Surely the funds are not to be kept as a revenue producing feature through the accumulation of interest. It must however be pointed out that other groups in their endeavours to provide recreational facilities have taken the bull by the horns and completed their .facilities without assistance from the Town account. A prime example would be the Community Centres project in Tyrone and possibly Brownsdale and the two arenas in Orono and Newcastle. Swimming pools both in Bowmanville, Newcastle and Orono were created without funds from the Town as also tennis courts. Taking these examples into account the Town must first consider the position they placé themselves in with now doleing out Town funds. There is a prime need for a Town policy as to recreational development and facilities. Mayor Rickard presented to council a report which it appears council is to take some action on and which could well establish some form of policy and statement but it will be sometime coming. Counc. Cowman saw the need of policy and with the report as a base proposed that the Social Services Committee and staff prepare guidelines for a study of recreation in the Town and to report to council who should then make a decision to carry out a proper study. It is a well known fact that to keep order in road development a Needs Study was conducted and has been implemented. The same Should hold true for recreational and cultural facilities. Without such a policy the Town can only jump from one recreational conflict to aiiofher. THE COMMUNITY OF COMMUNITIES The decision facing the Province of Ontario as to the immediate future of thé Darlington Generating plant has a number of side issues Which also must be considered in a relationship with other provinces. As Ontario makes Ta decision on the time table of development of Darlington they must be mindful of the attitude of Alberta. Can Ontario be assured of constant supply of oil at a price set by cost of operation, a profit and some tax. • Ontario cannpt be mindful also of the recent ' development in Quebec With the opening of the James Bay hydro complex. Possibly more than enough hydro to even meet some of the demand in Ontario. Can this province make a deal, so to speak with Quebec with some assurante of constant supply. ' . and a workable agreement to carry from year to year. It is very doubtful and one may suggest that all the problems do not rest with Alberta and Quebec, Quebec at one time was a supplier of hydro to Ontario but Ontario dubbed the practice and agreement. It is hardly > an indication that a community of communities is workable especially amongst the provinces of this nation. Attitude must certainly change drastically if it is to work and accomplish and sound, true and healthy nation. No objection to Eldorado burning Town council on Monday passed a resolution in which • they noted they had no objections to a permit being issued to Eldorado Nuclear to burn waste at the Port Granby dump providing all conditions were met. The discussion opened with council when they received a letter from Eldorado Nuclear in which they said they had been denied a burning permit as the Fire Chief said he Was under orders by council not to Assessment and taxes topic at Clarke Ratepayers meeting Kendal News issue the permit at the present time. Council members said they were not aware of such direction from council and Town Manager A. Guiler said the matter had been discussed discussed ; but that no such direction had come from council. Counc. Clarke in discussing .the issuing of the permit pointed to a report from Eldorado in which it was stated that broken wooden Some seventy-five ratepayers ratepayers from the Clarke Township area on Monday night attended attended the Clarke Township Ratepayers Association meeting held in Newtonville when the main topic of discussion was assessment s and taxes in the Town of Newcastle. Mr. S. B. Rutherford, who for the past year has been interested and involved in a study of the assessment procedure spoke to the meeting. meeting. He pointed out that the ' past assessments in Clarke Township were based on the speculative investments in the Township and as a result rose out of balance with other centres. He credited the Town of Newcastle who last year called for market value assessment and for 1979 developed a single millrate for the entire Town. He said this had brought a degree of equity to assessments and taxes but that there still existed many inequities. Rutherford stated that farm homes are still being assessed higher than those on single lots and this he felt was unfair. He also said that the various categories were being taxed on a part of the assessment with a variance in percentages. Again he said this is not true market value. He said he has been unable to find out if farm land had been taken out of the farm assessment category and if it had this would have a bearing on farm land being taxed to a greater extent than prior to the change over for 1979. He also told his audience that the equalizing factor between the municipalities in the province could have the result of increasing taxes in the Town of Newcastle in 1980 by some twenty percent. He said in this area there were still inequities. He said he was worried as the system is as yet just no right. * He informed the ratepayers that they had a right to appeal their assessments and it was up to them to do so if they felt they were assessed unjustly. "You Have recourse through the Court of Revision and other Ontario courts if you are not satisfied. .^Rutherford said as far as the equalizing factor between municipalities local residents had no say but the municipalities municipalities should be aware of what is happening before they get too far out of line. Rutherford said the head of the assessment department ■said that the people in Clarke had been rimmed in the .past. Mayor Rickard said the Town of Newcastle did not have market value assessment assessment and felt that if such existed things would be in a better condition. He pointed... out that assessment was the responsibility of the province. The Mayor said most municipalities municipalities in the province support Market Value Assessment Assessment and Tax Reform but as yet the province has failed to bring in such legislation. He contended that the large metropolitan centres would have to increase their tax rates by ten percent due to lower provincial grants and members of parliament from these areas do not support the legislation. He said the only solution was to pressure local M.P.P.s to support the passing of legislation. He said higher assessed values in a municipality mean lower provincial grants. grants. He pointed out that the province through the equalizing equalizing factor would call for decreased grants in the Town for 1980 but he had been assured that this would not be the case and that no municipality municipality would receive a lesser provincial grant than iu f979. This is only a stop-gap arrnageftient, he said. Klaas DeGroot said assessing assessing is not an exact science. Mr. Andy Van Bodegon, chairman of the Clarke Township Township Ratepayers Association, said he had investigated a i number of assessments on half acre lots in the Town and had found many, inequities ranging from $40.00 to $1900. Something is radically wrong, he said, DeGroot said this could well happen as appeals at*e being granted when such small parcels are claimed t6 be a part of an agricultural opera 1 tion. One at the meeting said he had been told by the assessment assessment department that his taxes would drop by $40.00 from 1978 to 1979. itie fact is they went Up $210.00, he said. Another said the only answer was to move the hell out. Another at the meeting said he had to tighten his belt to pay his taxes and he expected the council to do likewise. Van Bodegon in suming-up said it had been an informative informative meeting but nothing would be done if they just sat and talked.. He suggested that the Association send a delegate delegate to the council meetings and that the group inform council of their needs and wants. "We must become informed, informed, he said. "We should be looking at the budget now," he said and , we should decide what services services we want and don't want and so inform council what we will pay for the service we want. pallets did contain some radium. These pallets, said Clarke, are contaminated and should not be burned on the site. He said if you allow this you are subjecting the residents of Ward three with contamination. I am sure if this burning was to be carried out in Bowmanville, it would be another matter, he said. "Let Eldorado take it back to their plant, stock pile it add I am my neighbour's Bible, He reads me when we meet, Today he reads me in the house, Tomorrow in the street. He may be relative or friend, Or slight acquaintance be. He may not even know my name, Yet he is reading me. and you shall be witnesses unto me. ' ; Acts 1:8. The weather records tell us that we had the cloudiest October in twenty years ; and the wettest in six year; and the codlest in three years. This cool trend is expected to continue around 39 degrees F. which is 2 degrees below the average for this month, November could be dry . Some. snow may come around the 15thof November. We'll enjoy the hunters' moon. Several hunters from this area havë gone north to hunt the deer. Nbw that the three anniversaries anniversaries are past church and Sunday school resumed at Kendal at eleven fifteen in the morning. The minister announced announced the annual bazaar to be held on Saturday of this week, November 10th at 2 p.m. in the Orange Hall with afternoon tea being served in the church. The ladies were asked to provide home baking, baking, knitted articles, vegetables, vegetables, fruit, plants, anything that' will sell. Rev. A. Tizzard resumed his series of sermons on the ■books of the Bible. The scripture reading was from 1st '» Thessalonians, chapter one. Paul had made a missionary journey to these people, and taught them of Christ. Thenjie journeyed on, leaving Timothy and Silas ' behind. When these two joined I*aul at a later date they told Paul of, "the great work, of faith, and labour of love" being carried out in ThessaJonica by these Christians. Christians. So Paul writes this letter to congratulate them and also to give them some instructions instructions concerning the second coming of Jesus. In verse five, "our gospel came not unto you in word only but also in power". This wonderworking power of the . lamb slain. It is the power of God working within. It leads, us to higher levels of thought and action. "I am not ashamed of that gospel of truth", said Paul. You are writing a gospel each day, by the deeds that you do.; by the words that you say; What is that gospel according to you? Mrs. Angus Maclean of Prince Edward Island, Mrs. Clair Traynor of Regina, Mrs. Mabel Smith of North Hollywood, Hollywood, California, and Mrs. G. Cathcart were entertained to afternoon tea on October 30th by Mrs. M. Stevens. To easily and quickly frost cup cakes, put a marshmallow marshmallow on the top of each one, a couple of minutes before you take them out of the oven. BYAMS PLUMBING -HEATING Sales and Service 24 HOUR BURNER SERVICE GULF FINANCING Low Interest Rates St. Saviours ANGLICAN CHURCH Orono, Ontario Regular Sunday Worship Service - 10:p0 a.m. Rev. Allan Haldenby B.A. L.Th. UNITEDCHURCH Orono Pastoral Charge Minister |Rev. B.E. Long B.Th. Organist and Choir Director David Gray Sunday, November 10,1979 ORONO UNITED CHURCH Sunday Church School 10 a.m. Morning Worship 11:15 a.m. : KIRBY UNITED CHÜRCH Sunday Church School 9:45 Morning Worship 9:45 , Dial-A-Thought 983-9151 , then burn it in their incinerator," incinerator," sqid Clarke. Mayor Rtekarcj pointed out that the, burnjrig would be under the control of thç federal government, fclarke âaidt "They don't giVe a flam and you know it". Couhc. Clarke was the only objecting vote in agreeing not to object to the issuance of a permit.