The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

TT, "A Family Tradition for 132 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, November 17, 1998 - 13 Taxes, GTSB From page 1 Services Board (GTSB) by the provincial govern- ment. The mayor said he has attended more meetings on these two issues than any other over the past year. And he expects more of the same in the coming year. A stern and vocal oppo- nent of Queen's Park's plans to create a GTSB, Mayor Moffatt calls it a "ticking time bomb". He said he is not surprised at the amount of time he and the council have spent dealing with it. "The leave Durham Region alone message is not being heard by the bureaucrats at Queens Park," he said, noting that the Jan. 1, 1999 deadline to have the GTSB in place has not been officially altered. However, he added that since the legislation to create the GTSB has yet to get second reading in the Legislature, that date is probably not a realistic target. The mayor said he will continue his opposition to making Scugog part of the GTSB, a move he believes would take away from the municipality's identity and put important deci- sion making in the hands of Toronto councillors who would dominate the GTSB. He disagrees "complete- ly" with the line of think- ing that it would be better to have one "super city" stretching from Hamilton to Port Hope: "Different communities have differ- ent goals. Do we want to see Scugog as Pickering? No way." He agrees that some kind of a co-ordinating group is needed to solve issues such as transporta- tion in the Greater Toronto Area. But Queen's Park does not need to set up a board just to solve the transportation problems. He hopes that the province will allow two years for local govern- ments to come up with their own plans for restructuring and cost sav- ings. And with a provincial election almost a certainty in the spring, that may happen, though he has no concrete evidence to sup- port this. He notes, how- ever, that Conservative MPPs in the GTA are fully aware of how much oppo- sition there 1s to be idea. They could have serious trouble getting re-elected if plans for the GTSB are pushed through. As for the never-ending struggle to keep municipal costs down, the mayor said he and the council are con- stantly looking at new ways to provide the same level of service at lower costs. As an example, he noted three different roads departments work in Scugog township: local, regional a n d provin- cial. He said there are ways to stream- line so that all roads get plowed and repaired, but at less over- all cost. To look at this issue and others, he is a member of a committee of regional councillors. Over the next two years, he hopes that committee can come up with many recommenda- tions on how to avoid duplication and save those scarce tax dollars. "The status quo is no longer acceptable. Either we find ways to change or the provincial government will find ways for us," said Mayor Moffatt. Changes in the way education is funded have had a big impact on Scugog. Under the new formula, Scugog somehow "lost out" on some $2 mil- lion in education tax dol- lars. It is still not clear how the formula works for education taxes, said the mayor. And the recent move by Queen's Park to cap busi- ness taxes will force more change, though just how this will impact locally remains to be seen. "It will mean we will be spending more time on finances and the prepara- tion of the 1999 municipal budget." The mayor said that even with all the time spent grappling with the so-called big issues, coun- cil is still able to get things accomplished at the local level that have a direct impact on township resi- dents. The council will contin- ue to pave as much rural roads as possible and repair as much sidewalk. He hopes that Scugog over the next couple of years will be successful in Doug Moffatt 9 ere OFT... about the construction. To make up for it, we're having a special band come in Bad Dog! Fri. & Sat. Night 9:30pm Don't Miss It! Grarlite 1866 Scugog St., 985-0025 attracting some new industry to the area. The Success Park on Concession Six has great potential to attract new business, he said. And he expects that some kind of announcement is soon to be made regarding the future of the former Johnson Control plant on Simcoe St. just south of Port Perry. The Mayor expects work will start on a new sewage treatment plant for Scugog before the end efficiency Triple burner system to last a lifetime Furnace-style "Turbo Boost" burner for extra heating of the term of this council in two years. If the new plant does not get off the drawing board, develop- ment in the municipality will virtually grind to a halt, and even the modest growth of 100 new homes per year the council wants will not be reached. Mayor Moffatt said his first 12 months in office generated "more unan- swered questions and issues than I thought" on matters such as download- ing, restructuring and the GTSB. It has been tough for the new council to deal with these complex and new issues. There has been a real learning curve pro- cess for the council, he said. And the council has worked very hard to find out the answers. "It's a good council. They get along well togeth- er and there are no serious personality clashes." One thing that could work in the favour of local governments, he said, 1s dominate council agenda, says Moffatt the upcoming provincial election. The Harris gov- ernment, 1f it wants to get re-elected will have to be more amenable to local affairs. "There is a lot of unrest" at the municipal level and the education crisis has hurt the ruling Conservatives, said Mayor Moffatt. He notes how quickly Queen's Park came up with nearly $300 to keep schools from closing across Ontario. proven in the furnace and fireplace industry. Burners cannot break or crack lik nyentional ceramic burners. hungry appetites. All Napoleon gas fireplaces, stoves and inserts are available in natural gas or propane. Visit or call Overridge today to arrange for a free no-obligation estimate. A reliable heater that cooks During an electrical power failure your Napoleon stove or insert not only ensures you of reliable operation and heat; it also can be used to feed those 170 Casimir St., CIEL EE AL Quality Fireplaces & Gas Grill Your Satisfaction 1S our Reputation @ Natural Gas @ Propane © Wood © Oil 150 Triple Burp, Napoleon burners will not split, are rust resistant and are Yste,, "Yellow Dancing Flame" ® burners provide ample heat Split oak ceramic fibre logs Model GDI50 Napoleon High Efficient Gas Insert lalso available) ® installs easily mto existing fireplace e avatlable as direct vent * elegant bay window e cooktop AVA s{z{|pe]S Fireplace Warehouse 1-800-638-4751