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County says blame Province for hikePosted February 24, 2005Simcoe County council approved a 2005 budget this morning that's expected to add about $28 to the average property tax bill on homes assessed at $205,000 in New Tecumseth. Last year, the County's portion of the tax bill was 28 per cent of the total, including a separate line item for waste management. As a percentage, the levy hike equals 4.85 per cent and both mayor Mike MacEachern and deputy mayor Rick Milne voted against it. Both said later they opposed the increase because it included more than $1 million in grant money for hospitals in Simcoe County. Overall, the County is forecasting gross expenditures at $323 million, which is up from $297 million last year. The total tax take from ratepayers will be $73 million, which is $4.8 million more than last year. That's offset by $1.4 million in assessment growth, dropping the levy hike to $3.4 million or 4.85 per cent. Mr. MacEachern said the performance management committee had actually taken the budget to 3.3 per cent, but that increased to its final level to cover the hospital reserve account. "The crux of my disagreement with the budget is we have to start to focus on the things we're responsible for," said Mr. MacEachern. "It seems what we're doing is getting into areas that we just really don't have a mandate or a responsibility to fund." The County used to levy ratepayers about $5 per year to fund local hospitals but ceased that as the cost increased. In 2002, on the urging of hospitals facing funding shortfalls from the Province, the County agreed to establish a fund of up to $3 million annually for hospital capital projects. Among the criteria were that an alliance had to be created and the institutions themselves had to agree on how to allocate the money. The strict condition was that it was for capital only, and have provincial government approval. However, when the former Conservative government initiated its downloading exercise, County councillors reexamined whether they should be funding programs that the province is supposed to. And that came to a head this morning when the two hour debate was dominated by the grants to hospitals. The $1.6 million set aside for hospitals equals just over a two per cent levy on the tax rate. Mr. Milne said he voted against the budget because the County already is burden by programs its already mandated to deliver. "Once again we're getting it from the provincial and federal government. We're the grassroots, and we're the ones that hear it about the hospitals, about the roads, about the social serives, and we have so little money to deal with it, and they've download all these services to us, but with no money with it," he said, "I feel sorry for the hospitals, and I feel sorry for the social services, but our roads, our environment, our water, that's going to be a big charge down the road." The County says the provincial government owes it about $1.5 million to cover its portion of cost share programs, and it's blaming the Province for forcing it into hiking taxes. "The County continues to experience significant short falls in provincial funding related to downloaded services including land ambulance, social housing, roads and other social services," said Warden Dennis Roughley. "The burden of provincial funding shortfalls on property taxpayers through the County of Simcoe, the separated cities of Barrie and Orillia, and all municipalities across Ontario, remains unacceptable." Collingwood mayor Terry Geddes, chair of the performance management committee, said it was time for the County to pressure the province into paying for its share of downloaded programs. "I know personally I'm going to vote for the hospitals, but I'm going to vote for the hosptials with displeasure; Not to the hsoptials because I know how valuable they are, it's just process," said Mr. Geddes. "How much longer are we going to take this? We need to seriously stop talking about how much longer we're going to take it, and looking at doing something about it." Please use "Letter to the Editor" in subject line. |
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