OCTOBER 9 - 17, 2015 WWW.OKTOBERFEST.CA FOR TICKETS
WObserver-Colour Banner-15.indd 1
04/05/2015 4:47:40 PM
09 | 19 | 2015 VOLUME 20 | ISSUE 38
TEACHERS’ PAY DOESN’T BOOST OUTCOMES VENTURE PAGE 17
COMMENT PAGE 8
REGION SHOWS NO INTEREST IN TRANSFER STATION
Woolwich eyes 2.1% tax increase as 2016 budget process gets rolling
SOMETHING FOR GRANDMA
TAXES | 2
Region ignores Woolwich, plans to close transfer station
No effort, broken pledge to cooperate show region never had any intention of doing right by the public
STEVE KANNON A 2.1 per cent tax increase is the starting point as Woolwich council prepares for its 2016 budget deliberations. The township also expects to hit up taxpayers for another 1.5 per cent to fund infrastructure projects. Together, that would add some $30 to the property tax bill of an average township home assessed at $331,500. In 2015, Woolwich reduced spending and used a windfall to hold the general tax increase to zero, with a 1.6 per cent levy for infrastructure projects. The 2.1 per cent target for next year represents the projected inflation rate. Unlike the rapid growth of the past decade, Woolwich expects assessment growth to be at its lowest level in years at 1.25 per cent, bringing in an additional $111,400 in 2016. That compares to 2.5 per cent this year, creating revenues of $214,000. In contrast to past years, however, budget talks may actually look at the township’s largest single expense: payroll costs. Meeting September 15, council-
www.OBSERVERXTRA.com
STEVE KANNON
Allie Brubacher gets wrapped up by “Monty” the Burmese python during a Grandparents Day celebration at Elmira’s Chartwell Retirement Residence Sept. 11. [SCOTT BARBER / THE OBSERVER]
Intent on closing the Elmira transfer station over the objections of Woolwich residents, the Region of Waterloo will do nothing to help keep the well-used facility going as a private venture. Months after promising to look at options for turning over the transfer station to a private operator, the region opted to do nothing. Regional council’s planning and works committee voted this week to mothball the waste stations in all of the rural townships by December 31. The region has no interest in keeping the transfer station going, or even in helping the township maintain a service widely used by residents, said Woolwich Coun. Patrick Merlihan, who made a presentation to the committee
Tuesday afternoon. While the decision left the door open for a pitch to privatize the service, Merlihan said the dismissive reception left no room to be hopeful. “I was really disappointed,” he said at Tuesday night’s township council meeting. Mayor Sandy Shantz, Woolwich’s representative on regional council, was equally unoptimistic, noting the region has essentially washed its hands of the issue. “They’ve sort of thrown it back to us to work with a private operator.” The township now expects nothing but roadblocks to finding a way to keep the transfer station open. Regional staff was instructed last winter to look at options to privatize TRANSFER STATION | 9