City council is unanimously backing Mayor Larry Di Ianni's call
for $19.5 million from the Ontario government to balance Hamilton's
billion-dollar 2004 budget.
If that comes through, the city can avoid drastic service
cuts and keep the tax increase to 6 per cent.
That would still boost the bill by $154 for a
house assessed at $160,000, raising the city tax to $2,227
from $2,073. There's no word yet on an increase in
the provincial education tax, $536 last year.
Di Ianni says Hamilton can't wait any longer for a
new deal from the province, that it needs at least
$19.5 million now to pay for downloaded social services.
The mayor's budget plan, presented to council yesterday, also calls
for a $20-per-hour increase in arena ice rental rates, a
10-per-cent increase in room rental rates at rec centres, and
a plan to make water and sewer users pay for
$2 million in storm sewer costs now covered by tax
revenue.
Together, those measures would overcome the $83-million deficit the city
now faces.
Di Ianni says the city can't afford to enforce tougher
smoking rules that come into effect June 1, step up
its restaurant inspection program, develop a master plan to provide
transit services to persons with disabilities, plant trees, expand tree-trimming
service to the suburbs or enforce tree-cutting bylaws. Source.
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