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he 10 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, March 8,1994 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" INCOME TAX. BOOKKEEPING PROBLEMS? | LET US HELP! Reasonable Rates Call BETTY or DIANNE 985-9077 Repairs to Block & Concrete Walls WeepingTiles Repaired & Installed McGuinness cu 085-2814 COATINGS Men ~ Women ~ Children Sel mic IE Physical @7elgle]li[e]gllg]e Self-Defense Self-Esteem Shihan Respect Sei Hei Walker th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL FOR THE FIRST 25 MEMBERS IN PORT PERRY FOR THE FIRST 25 MEMBERS IN UXBRIDGE ILIA CTAY NPIL NOW! Learn about Karate before You join 1 \agz{e]nll ex fo], COURSE 19.95 HIRYU BUSHIDO KAI \ EY g (1 Vg CX op) (=F = 15258 Simcoe St., Port Perry 985-0205 73 Brock St. W., Uxbridge 852-3093 ain a ss 80 Water Street, Port Perry Free Delivery er " in a Lifnited 085-8448 Ared ey A Find us fast in the "Yellow Pages™ ™ Region approves budget with close to '0' increase By Scott Anderson Port Perry Star Taxpayers in Scugog will see their regional taxes increase $2 this year, after the regional councillors approved a budget with a next to nil increase. Following a marathon ses- sion on Wednesday, councillors approved the budget with a gross expenditure of $320.8 mil- lion and a net expenditure re- quirement of $116.4 million. The 1994 net regional levy 1s $93.7 million. As a result, Scugog residents will see their tax bills swell by $2 in 1994 from $440 to $442. Brock Township's will jump by approximately $4 to $336, while Uxbridge's will climb by $2 as well to $451. Most departments experi- enced a decrease to ensure that the budget saw no increase. The decreases included Health and Social Services with a 1.5-per cent decrease, Works Commit- tee 2.1-per cent decrease, Plan- ning Committee 2.6-per cent de- crease, Special Standing Committee 1.9-per cent de- crease, and Police Services Board a 4.2-per cent decrease. The Finance and Administra- tion Committee was the only de- partment to experience an in- crease (1.9 percent). "All departments have been required to conduct major re- views of their operations and to implement strategic plans to achieve the greatest efficiencies possible while attempting to maintain current service levels. The efforts of all parties in- volved were considerable," Fi- nance Committee Chairman Don Hadden said. In presenting the budget, Mayor Hadden noted that exter- nal factors made producing the budget difficult. The difficulties included a loss of $7.8 million due to the So- cial Contract legislation, the Expenditure Control Plan and the implementation of a revised funding formula under Long- Term Care Reform. Departments were also re- quired to absorb cost increases due toinflation. ) "I'm pleased with the budget," said Scugog Mayor Howard Hall. "A great amount of co- operation was shown by the staff. Every department was hit. They were told that a zero- per cent increase was the target and we've achieved it." The mayor noted that the budget will have no real effect on Scugog's budget, expected in two weeks time. "It doesn't hurt Scugogin any- way. I don't see any area where we'll be cut," he said. Winter puts a deep freeze on Scugog building starts A long, cold winter has put a deep freeze on-building activity in the township. Year-to-date figures released by the Township of Scugog last week, indicate only five permits were purchased in the first two months of 1994 at a value of $32,000. This is considerably less than the eight permits, with a value of $567,500, for the same period in 1993. All sectors of the building in- dustry lagged far behind last year including single family dwellings which have been hard- est hit by the unseasonably cold winter. Developers have been unable to break ground due to the deep frost conditions and cold weather. In all instances this year per- mits have been taken out for ren- ovations to existing buildings or demolitions. There has been no indication of any new construc- tion. In the month-to-date figures, February proved to be a slow month with only one permit is- sued for a garage or carport at a value of $5,000. For the same monthin 1993, a permit for a single family dwell- ing was acquired at a value of $200,000. Despite the slow start to 1994, many believe this will be the year when the building industry picks up after a few years of We provide our patients: ® State-of-the-Art Care ® Comfortable atmosphere ® Relaxation techniques PY; ® Nitrous Oxide (gas) ® Cosmetic Bonding * Emergencies welcomed ® Insurance assignment (we collect from insurance companies) DR. A. CHIA DR. J. COTTRELL DR. M. GARFAT DR. J. HA" DY for the whole family New patients always welcome! ve DR. T. KING (Orthodontist) PORT PERRY DENTAL CENTRE 238 QUEEN ST. - PORT PERRY | 985-8451 Evening & Saturday appointments available tough times during the recent recession. This is at least the case in Scu- gog, where local developers are indicating a desire to break ground on development. A number of developers were granted sewage capacity last year and some are expected to begin their residential projects in the spring. Among the activity should be Canterbury Common, a residen- tial development on the Brooks Farm land at Regional Road 2 and Reach Street. The return of construction in the area should also spell relief for the tradespeople and suppli- ers who have seen business dwindle as a result of the slug- gish economy. Letters to the editor To the Editor: As most people with school . age children know, the Durham Board of Education is in the pro- cess of making its annual bud- get cuts. In order to reduce bus- ing costs, they have decided to send kindergarten children to schol all day every other day. The board is currently study- ing three schedules to deter- mine the best way to implement this. Two of these schedules would be difficult to work into the present six-day school cycle. However, they would make it fairly easy for parents to ar- range day care. The third possi- bility would match the rest of the school. Parents would have to use the school year calendar to arrange September through June day care. Day care is a very important issue for working parents but should it be the priority and main concern? Or should the childrens' integration into the school with benefit of properly scheduled phys. ed. and library classes be more important? My children do not attend school for my convenience. We, as concerned parents, still have the opportunity to have input into the schedule which will be implemented. I urge all parents of children reg- istered for kindergarten in Sep- tember 1994 to make their opin- ion known. Take time to speak to your school principal, call the Board of Education office or con- tact our school trustees! A concerned parent, Dayle Forderer Port Perry 24 WED. | MEDIUM ONLY | SQUARE with PEPPERONI Additional toppings available 'FAST FREE DELIVERY 16 PIECE with pepperoni Additional toppings available PICK UP ONLY Expires March 30/94 929 plus tax So 99 phus tax Expires March 16/94 original TH piece Mushrooms, peperoni, bacon, onion, green A red peppers. No substitutions please, 'FAST FREE DELIVERY BIGFOOT oy" 929 142 Expires M arch 16/04 Delure WE DELIVER TO THESE AREAS ~ Port Perry. Blackstock. Nestleton, Caesarea. Seagrave, Greenbank. Utica, Epsom. Scugog Island. mh. TNE ATR AHS SI IG GA at em BN aaa a aa i. . A Geet I SO em Po Pa