NEW HOURS 6am to midnight
Locally Owned & Operated by Doug & Mary Lou Pagett
STARTING
March 12, 2017 We will no longer be open 24hrs
315 Arthur St., S., ELMIRA 519-669-5403
02 | 23 | 2017 VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 08
TAKING THE STING FROM THE SCREEN TO THE STAGE THE ARTS PAGE 17
COMMENT PAGE 6
PUBLIC GOOD STILL NOT THE FOCUS OF TWP. BUDGETS
www.OBSERVERXTRA.com
Woolwich WMC event provides some Family Day fun in Elmira tax rate hike officially 3.13% STEVE KANNON FACING A 3.13 PER cent increase in their Woolwich property taxes, the average household will pay an additional $26.70 to the township this year. Woolwich council this week gave quick approval to the 2017 budget, making the increases official. Based on the average residential assessment of $340,102, homeowners will shell out about $810 to cover just the share of taxes collected by the township, which gets about a quarter of the total – more than half of the bill goes to the Region of Waterloo, with the rest being scooped up by the school boards. For this year’s increase, 1.63 per cent goes to the general levy, while 1.5 per cent is a special infrastructure levy to help pay for Woolwich’s growing list of roads, bridges and buildings in need of repair or replacement. Along with the increases to the township’s operating budget – which will also get a boost from assessment growth of about two per cent – councillors also approved a capital budget of more than $19 million, with most of the proposed spending compromised of $11.5 million, for roads, bridges and sewers. Working out the final details Tuesday night, councillors finalized plans for capital spending on parks and playgrounds, having earlier discussed swapping out work in St. Jacobs for BUDGET | 5
The sun was shining bright while Dayton Cosgrave (top left) tries out her painting skills using snow as a canvas, and Cooper and Deacon Benvenuti from Waterloo test out their spray bottles during Winter in Bloom at the Woolwich Memorial Centre on Monday. Karl Jordan from the Elmira Optimists cooks up some chili dogs while others enjoy the free skate inside. [LIZ BEVAN / THE OBSERVER]
Whether you’re a wild card or the king of hearts, reignite your youthful spirit as we help you foster new friendships and spark new passions.
{Sen ager } •
(n. a senior who feels like a teenager)
At The Westhill, we are all young at heart. Two Bedroom + Two Bathroom Suite Special! Available for a limited time. Call today to book your personal visit!
519.725.0525
Westhill.Sifton.com