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WCookCanadabuildingpn council fastâ€"tracked them, according to Mr. Emmerson. “It going to cost us a lot more in five years to do another one,” Mr. Emmerson said of why two ice pads and npi one, wgte built. “We've grown in amenities we didn’t have before, it’s nice to have, but at the same time, when you buy a new house, you don’t run out right after and buy two new vehicles, a cottage (and a) boat," said mayoral candidate Justin Altmann. Added another mayoral candidate. Chris- tine Vlachos: “I think the debt is disgraceful. These soâ€"called ‘smart business decisions’ are beyond the means available and have put the town in an unnecessary long-term deficit.” w ' Residents, hbweverjhavevnot been saddled with paying for the_entire deub‘t load. HI __A_ Development charges will pay for 71 per cent of the $37.2 million, with the remainder coming from taxes. Residents can expect an annual tax hike of 2.6 per cent over the next fivé years, according to Mr. Pourvahidi. On an average house, assessed at $360,000, it works out to less than $30 annually, he said. TAX HIKE OF $30 Throughout the election campaign, the purchase of Cook Canada, which is being tranSformed into a town hall, has also come under fire. “Should we at some time have {town hall Town saved on projects: Mayor Mrs. Sherban said. “But not at From page 1. Sandifgrd Drive was purchased by the town for its new municipal office earlier this year. a time when you have already stretched your limits and in my opinion the limits of the town's debt." - Mr. Eminerson has called the purchase a sound business decision. Council, save for councillors Phil Bannon and Rob Hargmve, The town hall has a total budget of about $10 million, which includes the $5.2 million purchase price. The remaining $4.4 million is for construction. In order to fund the project, a $6 million debenture was taken out, which is part of the town’s $37.2-million debt, - The new town hall has about 20,500 square feet of space the municipality does not plan on using for itself. About 6,500 square feet of it has been leased to York Works, with the remaining 14,000 square feet still available. If the excess space is leased out, it may result in a positive cash flow in about seven to 10 years, in com- parison to the leasing cost, according to Mr. Pourvahidi. Although many projects have been started and completed over therpasAt fpgr yeargs.‘ there are a few; that need to Be finished â€" Memo- rial Park and Bethesda Park â€" and a few that remain on the books for the next five years â€" a second indoor pool, seniors centre expanded library I “If (you) add a project, more debt. If you delete a project. less debt," Mr. Pourvahidi TOWN HALL You don't have to be on the street! Are you 15-19 years old and need a place to stay while you sort things out? Contact us at Pathways at (905) 471-7877 thways This messamrouom to you as a community service of Markham Economist Sun ath‘ STAFF PHOTO/SJOERD WITTEVEEN (A dvertisement) It you or your child suffers from LEARNING DlSABan'IESthen attendingthistreesymposium may be the most important thing you do this year. You will discover the true cause of these conditions and natural solutions and options you can use right away to overcome them. Many children and adults with ADD and Dyslexia have seen significant improvement without medication. Dr. Turner is an international speaker and lecturer who has been featured on the Din! Petty Show, National News, Canada AM, CFTO News, Marilyn Denis CITYLINE and Riley Live. He will present a tree symposium on Thurs, Oct. 21st at 7:30 pm at the Stoutfville Health Centre, 6219 Main Street, Stoufiville, L4A 8A4.