An old saying has been coming into play as Orangeville council winds down its 2010 budget deliberations: The more things change, the more they stay the same. At Monday’s town hall budget meeting, the town-only property tax increase went on a roller coaster ride. It began at 2.6 per cent, went as high as 2.9 and as low as 2.1 before ending the night at 2.5 per cent; just 0.1 per cent lower than it was at the beginning of the night. Once combined with the county and educational levels, the actual tax increase to the owner of a average $250,000 home in Orangeville will be 1.5 per cent or $48. While it is expected that the budget, as it stands, will pass at the Feb. 8 council budget meeting, there is still a chance certain councillors will be lobbying for further reductions. As has occurred in prior years, the same schools of thought, featuring the same council members, clashed over what spending priorities should be implemented. Mayor Rob Adams and Deputy Mayor Warren Maycock placed the emphasis on keeping the increase as low as possible. Councillor Scott Wilson, on the other hand, maintained that Unit 519.942.1476 the priority should be to build up cash reserves and ensure that town facilities and infrastructure will be properly maintained in years to come. The 2010 budget totals $30.9 million and has been adjusted by $235,000 during the deliberations. Councillor and budget committee

chair Sylvia Bradley – arguably the most independent council member when it comes to budget preparation – proposed on Monday that an additional percentage point be added to the town-only tax increase. She pointed out that the revenues from this, which town treasurer Bill McKennan said would be about $220,000, could be put toward reserves or toward what she sees as vital road and sidewalk work in the area of Broadway and C-Line.

Mr. Maycock immediately spoke against her motion. “There are still 900,000 Canadians unemployed,” he said. “More people are using food banks. Students at the school where I teach tell me their parents still don’t have a job. We need to do something to help these people out.”

The deputy mayor had said, on previous occasions, that the town-only increase should be

held to about

1.7 per cent.

After Monday’s meeting, council had managed to add $100,000 to reserves. Mr. Wilson saw this as “not good financial management at all.

“The infrastructure we have to continue to maintain is not going to go away. Sooner or later, you are going to have to pay the piper.”

Mayor Adams said “a balanced approach” needed to be taken. As for the contribution to reserves, he admitted “it is not huge, but it’s a step in the right direction.

“In the future, we will experience a better economy and we will catch up. The key is to keep tax adjustment at moderate levels.”

Mr. Wilson also alluded to Mr. Maycock’s statement about the 900,000 unemployed Canadians.

“You would be severely deluded if you think budgets like this are going to put people back to work,” he said in an interview. “What is needed is to continue with (the necessary) capital works projects.”

Overall at the meeting, however, austerity appeared to be the theme and the Orangeville Public Library was the primary target of the cutbacks.

The library had

originally come to the

table seeking a

290,000 budget

increase. By the time things wrapped up Monday night, that figure was around $84,000.

Councillor Mary Rose

put the library on notice at

the beginning of Monday’s meeting when she said: “I realize

the importance of our public

library,” she told library CEO Cindy Weir. “ But if our other heads of departments brought in such budget increases, we just couldn’t handle them.

“If you can’t bring your budget down to that of other departments, we may have to make cuts you may not agree with.”

Ms. Weir countered that, in difficult economic times, the public need for library services increases.

“We recognize the important and difficult decisions council faces,” Ms. Weir told council,

but our customers face difficult decisions, as well. We have seen 6,000 more people using the library Internet, and that includes job searches and day care searches.

“With the economic changes of the last two years, we are seeing many new faces.”

Ms. Rose kept her ground, however, and made a successful motion toward the end of the meeting that saw an additional $78,000 slashed from the library budget.

The 2010 budget will accommodate, as of this fall, an increase in the total number of hours of operation at the library’s Mill Street location to 60 from 53 and, at the Alder Street location, to 58 from 48.

The capital portion of the budget, totalling $3.2 million in expenditures, includes several projects for 2010:Sarah Street reconstruction, including watermain and sewer ($1,115,000); Buena Vista sidewalk ($6,000); John Street bridge and rehabilitation ($237,000); Manhole replacements ($150,000); Fourth Street road rehabilitation, First to Second Ave. ($40,000); Second Street road rehabilitation, Fourth to Fifth Ave. ($60,000); Burbank Cres./Century Drive road rehabilitation ($80,000); Tideman Drive road rehabilitation ($175,000); Stewart Court road rehabilitation (50,000); Town Hall HVAC repair ($50,000); Fire Department breathing air compressor ($46,000); Operations Centre health & safety improvements ($25,000); Roof repairs at Alder Street Recreation Centre ($100,000); Installation of snow & ice breaks over Tony Rose doors ($77,000); Alder Street sidewalk repairs ($40,000); Safety guards for Tony Rose rooftop system ($25,000).