Will Whitchurch-Stouffville's property tax ever decrease? 'Never'

Building new pools, ice rinks leaves those with fixed incomes in the dark, writes Jim Thomas

Yorkregion.com
Dec. 3

It’s nearing that time of year when members of council, the chief administrative officer, the director of finance and heads of departments sharpen their pencils to prepare an annual budget.

It’s a demanding ordeal, an affliction meant to test the vigour and vitality of any municipal servant. Trust me, I know. For within our domestic household, it’s wife Jean who must bear this burden while I sit idly by and await the result. She burns the midnight oil.

But fortunately there’s only me to please, not a town of 50,000. Perish the thought.

This 2021 accounting, however, will be different due to the fact that live public forums won’t be permitted. Discussions may be streamed or Zoomed, depending on what the chain of command agrees is best. Regardless, due to the technical skills required, I won’t be part of the puzzle. But this doesn’t prevent me from having a say. Please listen.

No, I’m not opposed to progress. Truth is, I advocate it. All I’m asking is slow it down. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

It’s obvious, by checking our tax bill, that with fast-forward advancements come fast-forward expenditures. Improvements must keep pace with demands, hence an enlarged library, an indoor pool, two ice arenas, an indoor soccer pitch, several splash pads, additional schools and more.

All these extras, while appreciated, cost money. And money doesn’t grow on trees. It’s computer-printed on tax accounts.

Back in the early ’60s, these so-called luxuries weren’t anticipated. Now, they’re commanded. Why? Because of an expanded population.

So who gains financially? Developers, certainly. Newcomers, hopefully. But not longtime residents, regrettably -- particularly those on fixed incomes wishing to remain in their original homes.

So will this necessity, called property tax, ever decrease? “Never,” a former mayor honestly answered. If this is so, we’re building ourselves into a box.

The solution? Without erecting a wall around the town, let the powers that be slow things down. Municipal managers may look with pride at what they’ve accomplished but, at the same time, should also consider those existing stalwarts whose past payments have made it so.

Blazed a trail
A former journalist on the staff of the Stouffville Tribune has signed off with a traditional -30-.

Ronald Walton Wallace, this newspaper’s assistant editor back in the ’70s, died on Nov. 22. He was 76.

As in Stouffville, Ron won the hearts of readers when he later assumed the publisher’s post at the Aurora Banner. He then established his own newspaper, calling it the Auroran.

Ron’s many community activities earned him the iconic symbol "Mr. Aurora." He was the recipient of the Rotary Club’s Paul Harris Fellowship, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal and the Aurora Citizen of the Year Award. He was a three-term member on Aurora’s town council and a York Region Board of Education trustee.

Ron is survived by his wife Patricia, a daughter, Aurora, and a sister, Brenda.

Mystery solved
In a recent column, we reported a Musselman’s Lake resident seeing a strange-looking feathered friend perched outside her home’s front window. Margaret Russell described the foliage as part brown and part blue, a combination suggesting a "hybird" thrush and blue jay. The portrayal prompted much interest. Now we know. It was a ruffed grouse, a game bird common to southern Ontario but more often found in wooded areas.

Magical evening
A magical evening. Although Saturday’s Santa Claus Parade will take on a different format, co-organizers Sarah Farrant and Julia Troiani of the town’s special events department are describing it as an event not to be missed. The location is Hoover Park Drive, west of Mostar Street. Parade time is 6 to 9 p.m. The floats will remain stationary while spectators drive past.