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A4 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday September 15, 1999 6 Oakville 825-1216 Milton 875-1245 Monday - Thursday 11 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. Hotline: 24 Hour Service 1-800-550-4900 I D T U D i n J T SUITE 204 In I nnlvJrl I hopedale mall C ouncillo r critica l of po litica l p o s tu rin g Region's Keith Bird says tax freeze in growth year unrealistic "So what w e 'll end up saying is here is the rate o f inflation that w e picked out o f the air because it gives us a warm , fuzzy feeling. We're playing a politica l gam e here. " -Keith Bird W e C ouldn 't "Bear" It Four out of five kids are not correctly buckled into a car seat when riding in a motor vehicle. Is your child one of them? At The Co-operators, we care about the safety of young children, so we partnered with the Canada Safety Council and the Infant ^ and Toddler Safety Association to help address this alarming ' statistic. Find out more about correct installation and use of car seats at a Good Bears Buckle Up car seat clinic in Oakville Sept. 18, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Call The Co-operators at (905) 681-7711 for more information or to register Good Boon 110 m a In c o -o p e ra tio n w ith £ (fSsthe co-operators A R o H o r D b r c P n r V n n « Canoda Saleh Covnci I N T R O D U C I N G B y llre n e G e n tle SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Expensive capital projects could jack up the Region's 2000 utility bill by almost 6%, Halton's budget review committee heard recently. But committee voted to whittle that down to a tax freeze instead. Last year, the average homeowner shelled out about $407 for water and wastewater services. But financial staff estimate that capital projects could swell that by a margin of half a per cent to almost 6%. That would balloon the bills to somewhere between $409 and $430. The rate budget is expected to be approved by late November. Staff arrived at the meeting last week armed with a proposal to draw up a budget showing a 3% increase, with options to shave that down to a tax freeze. The committee quickly turned that around to recommend a tax freeze with an option to increase at the rate of inflation (around 2%). Expenses related to work on the Skyway sewage treatment plant, plant and equipment maintenance and sys­ tems operation would be responsible for the added budget pressures in the coming year, said a staff report. But councillors should understand what projects are being left out of a tax-trimming budget, said Joe Rinaldo, Halton's finance commis­ sioner. He asked for permission to prepare a list of the necessary projects and bring it back with a budget following council's directions. "It is important that we identify needs and if you elect to go to zero, that is a policy decision," he said. "The requirements are as much as 6 Councillors should know the con­ sequences of the budget they endorse, agreed Halton Chair Joyce Savoline. "I think it is a staff decision to put it before us and a political decision what to do with it," she said. "We don't want staff making the political decisions." DEIPP clinic Mon. a t Parent-Child Centre The Oakville Parent-Child Centre is hosting a "Developmental Early Identification & Prevention Program" (DEIPP) clinic on Mon. Sept. 20th, at 337 Kerr Street, from 12:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. The DEIPP clinic is staffed with professionals from Children's Assessment and Treatment Centre, Halton Region Children's Services, Milton District Hospital, Oakville- Trafalgar Memorial Hospital, and the private sector. Consultants are available for children five years and under, in any one or all of the fol­ lowing developmental areas: speech/language, hearing, learning, behaviour, and motor skills. Based on their observations during consul­ tation, each professional will pro­ vide feedback to parents, and pro­ vide further referrals if recommend­ ed. No appointment is necessary and families will be seen on a "first- come, first-served" basis. For more information, contact the Oakville Parent-Child Centre at 849-6366. Bringing in a low or no tax increase may be politically savvy, but not at the cost of leaving out impor­ tant projects, said Oakville councillor Kathy Graham. "I don't have any problem with the rate of inflation. I think that is an admirable way to go," she said. "But I think we have a responsibility." Asking for a budget to come in at a certain rate is just playing with numbers, said Oakville councillor Keith Bird. "So what we'll end up saying is here is the rate of inflation that we picked out of the air because it gives us a warm, fuzzy feeling," he said. "We're playing a political game here." It is crucial that the Region main­ tains a top quality water system, said Bird. "We're playing a little bit of a mug's game. At the end of the day, it has to be done," he said. "I'll be sup­ porting a budget that reflects the needs of supporting a first-rate water system." But "sustaining a system isn't the same as adding to it," observed Burlington councillor John Taylor. "The added monies would be for growth factors, not maintenance," he said. Residents should understand the value of Halton's water system, said Savoline. "One thing we may have done in the past is underplayed to the resi­ dents and set a false expectation of what it really costs," she said. "Maybe it is time for a reality check. 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