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x $5 06 RE SIR AS Bl LER as ET ag SAAC TI > . 5 4 A ER SE CE Pr Ea rr LREEN Group home gets final council OK ¥ Lf A proposal for a group home for mentally retarded adults received a final green light from the Township Friday afternoon when council informed the Central Seven Association that the proposal conforms with the municipal zoning by-law. However, a group of property owners who have expressed strong opposition to the group home will make a decision likely within the next week. whether to attempt to stop or delay the proposal through court action. The group home, on Gerrow's Beach on Scugog Island has been the centre of a controversy for almost two months since the proposal was first put in front of Township council by the Central Seven Association for the Mentally Retarded. Council decided two weeks 36 Pages Please, be extra careful! [from left] Jason Cooper, 7; Chris Legere, 8 and Heavy rain and warming temperatures during the past week have caused many of the ditches in Port Perry to fill with Spring run-off. Although it is a great source of pleasure for the kids who enjoyed the Spring , break last week it can also be dangerous. Durham council in an uproar over budget A delegation of politicians from Durham Region coun- cil is seeking an immediate meeting with three cabinet ministers to ask for money to soften the impact of parts of the Durham budget on property owners in some areas of the Region. That was one outcome of a lengthy, boisterous and at times confusing debate last week at Regional council in which 12 councillors were successful in blocking final approval of a $61 million 1980 budget. IN LIMBO After almost seven hours of non-stop debate on the budget including a flurry of Above motions and amendments, councillors finally came to a compromise agreement to adopt part of the budget in principle, but also to delay for two weeks the passing of the final by-law which legal- ly implements the budget. For members of council from Scugog, Brock, Ux- bridge, Newcastle, and Ajax, the budget itself was not the reason for their attempts to block approval. Their concern centred on the applications of new equa- lization factors, a complica- ted system which shifts the share of the budget each municipality will be required to pay from property taxes. The impact of these new Danny Mitchell, 8 are seén playing in the water with their boats. Parents should warn kids to stay away from the ditches during this period to avoid any tragedy. factors on property owners in Scugog Township, for example, will mean a 17 per cent increase in taxes for Regional purposes, or an additional $26 on an average home. The picture is just as bleak for property owners in the other four municipalities where the impact will mean tax increases of from 17 to 19 per cent. CAN'T SUPPORT "I just cannot support the budget or justify this kind of increase (17 per cent) on the ratepayers of Scugog Town- ship," said Mayor Jerry Taylor. Similar comments were made by regional councillor Reg Rose, gnd the represen- tatives from the other four municipalities hit hardest by the new factor system. The six members of coun- cil from Scugog, Brock and Uxbridge had decided a week earlier to vote against the budget, and it became obvious at the outset of the debate last week, that they would get support from the councillors of Newcastle and Ajax. During the long and at times tedious debate, Mayor Taylor also raised the issue of the northern municipali- ties getting out of Durham Region. "There has been thought ago to accept a legal opinion from Township solicitor Tom Jermyn that the home can be established without an amendment to the zoning by-law. Central Seven needed written confirmation of the by-law interpretation to satisfy requirements of the provincial social services ministry which is putting up 80 per cent of the operating costs of the group home. But Gary Fitchett, a resident of Gerrow's Beach and a spokesman for: the property owners in the area, disputes the interpretation of the zoning hy-law, saying it is too broad. "We don't agree with the interpretation of the by-law concerning the definition of single family," he said on Monday. He said the property owners on Gerrow's Beach will probably wait several days before making a decision on whether to seek a temporary injunction against the group home and then seek a review by the Ontario Municipal Board of the interpretation of the zoning by-law. "These options are still open to us," he stated. "But we will not take any action until we receive a report on the effect on property values which is now being prepared for us by an independent professional appraiser." He said that report will probably be completed with- in the next few days. The group home proposal, for up to "tight mentally retarded adults, has created bitter feelings between the property owners . on Gerrow's Beach and the Central Seven Association. The property owners claim that Central Seven has rush- ed the proposal too quickly and has failed to address their concerns, while Central Seven says it has done all it can in light of the fact the home must be operational by (Turn to page 7) ' Arena deficit must be cut Scugog council has reject- ed a 1980 operating budget proposed for the Scugog Arena, and has informed the Arena Board that it must reduce the projected deficit from $17,000 to $12,500. The proposed 1980 budget for the arena was tabled at a meeting of Scugog council Monday afternoon, and it shows expenditures this year of $139,050, along with revenues of $121,900. That leaves a deficit of just over $17,000, and members of council felt that this was not acceptable. In order to trim $5,000 off the projected deficit, the Arena Board will be faced with tough decisions: either find some way to reduce the operating costs, or increase revenues by hiking the ice rental rate. The proposed 1980 budget (which contains -the $17,000 deficit) reflects no change in the ice rental rates over 1979 which were $40 per hour for prime users, and $20 per hour for Minor Hockey, Ringette and the Figure Skating Club. In asking Monday after- noon that the deficit be recently of separating from the Region, but we didn't think we could afford to," said the Scugog Mayor. "But if this kind of in- crease keeps on, we won't be able to afford to stay in the Region," he stated. THE BUDGET While five municipalities would be hit hard by the new factoring system, it has just the opposite effect for Oshawa, Whitby and Picker- ing, where the impact will mean an increase in- Region- al taxes of from 4.1 to 5.1 per cent, or about $6.50 on an average home. The 1980 budget calls for a gross expenditure of $61.9 reduced by about $5,000, council also rejected a rec- ommendation from the Arena Board which called on all ice users to pay the prime rental rate, and then have the Township pay direct subsidy to Minor Hockey, Figure Skating and the Ringette organizations. Council felt that paying subsidies to these organiza- tions would not be advant- ageous as it could lead to the danger of council involve- ment in the programs themselves. "We (council) should be paying to provide the facilit- ies for recreation, and not get involved in the programs", said councillor Reg Rose. "The projected 1980 expend- itures for the Scugog Arena of $139,050 are an increase of about $10,000 over last year. The projected revenues for this year of $121,900 repre- sent a $6,800 increase over the figures from 1979. In 1979, the arena operated at a deficit of $14,000. However, there was a loss of anticipated revenue when the old arena on Water Street was closed prior to the 1979- 80 skating season. million, with a net require- ment of $32 million. When such things as provincial grants and development levies are taken off, the property owners of Durham Region will be asked to come up with $21.2 million this year through the tax levy, an increase of 11.9 per cent over the $18.8 million levy last year. While the 12 members of council from the areas har- dest hit did their utmost to block the budget, members from Oshawa, Whitby and Pickering put several motions on the floor during debate to have the budget (Turn to page 2) AGA so I st EO EL