Region looks to trim proposed 3.8% tax increase

Yorkregion.com
Feb. 13, 2015
By Lisa Queen

York Region councillors are sending upper management back to the drawing board with an eye to finding ways to cut a proposed 3.8-per-cent tax hike.

Newmarket Regional Councillor John Taylor persuaded councillors to direct staff to come back with scenarios that would reduce the tax increase by up to 1 percentage point.

That would keep the tax hike more in line with this year’s cost of living increase, which he anticipates at 2 to 2.5 per cent.

“I personally believe we need to go further to find reductions in the projected increase of 3.8 per cent that is currently in front of us,” he said at a budget meeting Thursday.

Over the past four years, council kept the regional tax increase to less than 2 per cent annually, thanks, in large part, to the province’s decision to take over the region’s pooling costs used to help fund Toronto’s social expenses, Taylor said.

“Having said that, with that assistance no longer within the budget, I believe we have to find greater reductions,” he said.

“I just think the public is starting to develop an expectation that budgets are brought in at or around the cost of living. I know we have cost of living pressures and growth pressures, but we also have assessment increases that offset growth pressures.”

Taylor also wants staff to look at reducing a proposed increase of about 165 new full-time positions by 10 per cent or 16 of those new jobs.

Trimming costs is achievable, although it may not be easy, but people on fixed incomes, such as seniors, can’t face large property tax increases, Taylor said.

“I guarantee every member around this table gets emails and phone calls and meetings with seniors on fixed incomes who are struggling and I think that’s the reality we face,” he said.

Senior staff are aware councillors are uncomfortable with the proposed 3.8-per-cent tax increase, but the region needs to provide necessary services, chairperson Wayne Emmerson said.

“They understand council is not really warm and fuzzy with 3.8 per cent and I think they are working on that,” he said.

“You look at water and sewers, you look at roads, affordable housing... there’s going to be pressures and there’s going to be a lot more pressure... It’s going to be very tough this budget and the next few years are going to be very tough for us to keep doing what we’re doing. We’re in the service industry. That’s what we’re trying to do, provide a good service for our residents in York Region.”

While council wants to trim the proposed tax increase, Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti said he’s pleased to see the region is looking to invest in needed services such as roads, transit and police.

Staff is expected to bring back scenarios looking at the implications of cutting the proposed tax increase by up to 1 per cent as budget deliberations continue. The next meeting is Thursday.

Some councillors are hoping to explore in the future ways of covering some costs through the private sector or higher levels of government.

For example, York Regional Police and other local police forces are caught up in the war on terror by protecting society on a local level, Vaughan Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said.
No longer is the enemy necessarily in a far-off land, it could be your next door neighbour, he said.

Those types of security costs have traditionally been covered by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) and Interpol, so there may be a case for recouping expenses from higher levels of government, Bevilacqua said.