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Rodidkoaflsouthoffllshe.) zzsaameuwngitm «Qualified-8774649675. WEE”. EAST GWllllMBURY éOlTLEVKIiB BERT DAVIS DRIVE EQAO Between April lst to October Blst annually, these depots will be open until 7 pm. on Thursdays. Depots will be closed Tuesdays, Wednesdays and statutory holidays. To better serve our residents, we are expanding our hours of operation to five days per' week, 8:30 am. to 4:30 pm. 2840 Rutherford Rd. VAUGHAN The debt is primarily caused by the region building infrastructure needed now that will During the next nine years, the region expects debentures to account for 47 per cent of capital spending, nearly twice what the province permits. The region expects to accumulate $3.6 bil- lion in debt over the next 10 years and staff are in talks with the province since municipalities are not supposed to carry such a large perâ€" centage of debt. ~ Georgina Mayor Robert Grossi was among those advocating the money be used to help pay down the region's debt, which is more than $1 billion. Regional chairberson Bill Fisch V fought attempts to ensure there was no increase last year but liked the way the numbers shook out this time around. treeze. The rest will go to the region’s tax staâ€" bilization reserve. Once the provincial spring budget is released that money could be redi- rected to debt repayment or other areas. After some debate a‘hout how best to spend the money, the committee voted to use $3.3 million if the $7.4 million to create the tax Due to the recession, the region projected 1.7 per cent assessment growth. However, it came in a full point higher. BY DAVID FLEISCHER dfleischer®yrmg. com York Region’s finance committee has approved a tax freeze for 2010. The uploading of GTA pooling added $ 13.3 million to the region’s cofiers this year, but it was an unexpected $7.4-million windfall that paved the way for a zero increase. Capital or infrastructure exfienditures are also expected to be lower in 2010. The “That's one body and last year I believe we had 10 or 11,” Mr. Pourvahidi said. “(For 2010), we just had to deal with annualization costs. That saves us a bit of money." The proposed 2010 increase is two per cent less than what residents were forced to pay in 2009. The 2009 budget saw residents hit with a 4.9-per-cent increase. A big reason for 2010’s lessened hike is because next year only one new person will be hired by the town. They will head the Downtown Stouffville Working Group. um. an, “At this point, I’m prétty confident about the budget," said Marc Pourvahjdi, treasurer and _director of finance for the town. On Dec. 1, town council received the 2010 draft budget and if no changes are made, it Pesseq in January. The estimaté is based on a home in Whitchurch-Stouffville assessed at $360,000. The municipal portion of your residential taxes is expected to increase by about $30 nex_t_year, or 2.9 per cent. GOVERNMENT: Your 2010 tax bill being set 2.9 % hike in town plans Cash windfall brings regional tax freeze BY SANDRA BOLAN 5bolan@yrmg.com “Let’s (thevpooling funds) to our tax- payers in the next three years when they need it,” committee; chair TonyVan Bynen said. That surplus was used for social h anqitopping up regional reserves. ousing Mr. Grossi said the millions in pooling money the region had been sending to Toron- to, to help cover social service costs, could be used to pay off the region’s debt. However, the committee decided there was no point spending that money now when there were no issues with long-term repayment and a $25 million surplus from 2009. “There’s no deht problem at all, not with- standing the fact our ratio is high compared to other municipalities," he said. ,,O-v- Mr. Fisch compared it t6 a young couple taking out a long-term mortgage they know wiulgventgafly be paid. be paid for by future dqvglopment charges ‘1... F! The increase is due to newly assumed roads, parks, sidewalks and trails, as well as the new facilities such as the sports complex, according to Mr. Pourvahidi. What is anticipated to go up in 2010 is the operating budget, which is proposed to be $4§J million. In 2009, the budget was $41.2 Those projects include the Bethesda Park sports fields, Clippers Sports Complex and the town's operations centre. “We had a lot of multi-year projects approved in 2009 and carried forward in 2010,” MnPourvahidi said. budget has $31.9 million allocated, which is $12.5 million less than 2009. The uploading of GTA pooling added $13.3 million to the region’s coffers this year, but it was an unexpected $7.4-million windfall that paved the way for a zero increase. The increase is due to newly assumed roads, parks, sidewalks and trails, as well as the new facili- ties such as the sports complex...