Representatives of Credit Valley Conservation (CVC) found themselves on the defensive Monday night when they appeared before Orangeville council to explain why the projected cost of an addition to the authority's head office in Mississauga has soared to $9 million from $2 million in the space of two years.

Documents provided to council by CAO Rae Horst showed that in recommending a feasibility study for the office expansion in June 2006, Ms. Horst and Gerry Robin, CVC's manager of corporate services noted that the agency's 10-year capital plan earmarked $2 million for an expansion in 2009 "to accommodate the existing staff and space needs as well as provide for the likely growth in the next eight to 12 years."

However, a 2008 Budget and Work Plan said the Office Renovations capital project - still expected to be completed and occupied next year - "has a current estimated cost of $9 million," including provision for energy-saving building components and certification,

The Budget and Work Plan said CVC's plan "is to limit future general levy increases to 5-6% "if at all possible."

Nowhere in the documents was there any indication of how much the head office expansion - designed to accommodate 140 offices - was going to cost municipalities in the Credit watershed.

However, inquiries by Councillor Mary Rose led to production by town treasurer Wayne Church of a singlepage projection, which showed that by 2010 the town's required contribution would be $218,168, compared with $112,586 in 2005 - an increase of nearly 94 per cent over five years, without any provision for increases in the general levy, currently $149,230.

If, as the CVC budget document suggests, that levy will go up close to six per cent in each of the next two years, the billing in 2010 will be well above $230,000.

Asking the CVC representatives whether a municipality's ability to pay was ever a consideration, Councillor Rose said the provincial Greenbelt and other restrictions on growth have left Orangeville in a position where it cannot afford such increases.

"For us that's a huge amount of money."

Asked to explain the increases, the CVC officials laid most of the blame on the provincial government, which had not raised its grant since 1995.

However, another factor appeared to be a decision of Peel Region council that it would no longer assume the full cost of the head office expansion, on grounds it will be of benefit to all the watershed's municipalities.

Peel currently provides about 94 per cent of the CVC's current $24 million budget.

"Peel carries the day," Ms. Horst noted.

However, Councillor Sylvia Bradley said she agreed with Councillor Rose that the situation was unacceptable. "The [financial] decisions are already made and we pay."

"Peel continues to grow, while we can't," Ms. Rose added, suggesting hard-hit municipalities should seek changes in the provincial legislation which currently leaves smaller municipalities with no means of challenging spending by conservation authorities.

In Dufferin, the Town of Mono and townships of East Garafraxa and Amaranth have land in the watershed will face similar increases in their much smaller levies.