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(Updated 7:30
a.m., Nov. 28)
City committee
approves plan to limit tax increase to 3.99%
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
Residents
worried about a double digit tax increase in 2010 can breathe a little easier
today after the city's audit and finance committee yesterday approved a
series of measures totalling $63 million, which taken in their totality,
will reduce the proposed hike to 3.99 per cent.
Most of the meaures
are unlikely to be met with much public outcry since they seek to defer
or reduce services with minimal impact to most residents. There are a couple
of exceptions, however, including a proposal to reinstate the 7.5 per cent
increase in OC Transpo fares which the city's transit committee had reduced
to 3.5 per cent.
The audit and
finance committee also voted to implement the fare hikes on March 1 rather
than the traditional date of July 1, which would net the city an additional
$2.3 million.,and they voted to proceed with the reorganization of bus routes
and service frequency.
Of the 73 measures
that were approved by the committee, 38 seek to defer expenditures on a
wide variety of programs including the hiring of 40 paramedics which emergency
services had asked for to improve response times.
Some of the other
measures include:a reduction in the number of waste management inspection
officers from five to two; the elimination of the tree stump removal program,
other than for legal issues or health and safety related issues; deferal
of $245,000 in the fire service equipment maintenance budget; deferal in
the hiring of eight additional employees by the parks and recreation department
to keep up with growth; and deferal of the Canada geese management strategy.
The single largest
measure in terms of its impact on the proposed tax increase is a recommendation
to defer the two per cent infrastructure renewal levy introduced in 2008
until 2011. The monies earmarked for infrastructure renewal in 2010 would
be borrowed instead.
The audit and
finance committee's recomendations will now be taken by staff and used in
drawing up the final draft budget document which will be presented to city
council in January. Public delegations will then be given an opportunity
to comment on the document before the final budget meeting.
The city's arts
groups, museum supporters and social service providers will no doubt be
relieved to find out that they've been spared from the list of proposed
cuts after years of having to fight for their piece of the pie.
The reprieve
may be shortlived, however. By deferring $8.6 million in expenditures, the
recommendations, if approved by council, would automatically add to next
year's budget pressures.
(This story
was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local
business partners.)
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