Improved Hanlon gets approved
Despite continued public dissension over
the proposed plan to upgrade the Hanlon Expressway between Wellington Street and Maltby Road, City Council voted in favour of the province’s preferred plan at
last Monday’s meeting. The marathon session went until 1 am with
councillors voting twice to extend the meeting so that the issue could be dealt
with till its conclusion.
The timetable for the completion of the
project is still to be determined, but project manager
Rob Bakalarczyk of the Ministry of Transportation confirmed to council that
some of the interchange upgrades on the $60 million project may take a decade
to complete. Top priority will be given to the Laird Road intersection so that greater access to the
future site of the Hanlon Creek Business Park can be offered. Money for this part of the
project, budgeted for $17 million, will likely come out of development charges.
The Ministry of Transportation Ontario
(MTO) will complete and publish the Hanlon Expressway Transportation
Environmental Study Report make it available on for a 30-day public review
period in May. You’ll be able to view the details for yourself at http://hanlonimprovements.ca/
Guelphites taxed a little less
It looks like the tax increase for home
owners in the city is going to be a little less than predicted thanks to
“changes in Guelph’s property value assessments, a decrease in the Province’s
education tax rate, and adjustments to the City’s multi-residential tax ratio
and its operating budget,” according to a city press release.
“Despite the current economic challenges
facing municipalities, Guelph’s financial position remains strong,” says the City’s Treasurer,
Margaret Neubauer. “The City continues to provide high quality public services
and ensure good value for people’s tax dollars.”
When the budget was passed in December, it
called for a 3.74 per cent increase to cover the costs associated with
protecting services and responding to changing community needs. Now the
increase will stand at 3.41 per cent over 2008 rates. At the same time, the
Province reduced Ontario's residential education tax rate by 4.76 per cent, which made
property value assessments higher than expected. Finally, the City is changing
the way it taxes multi-residential properties in order to spread the tax burden
more fairly across property categories and as a result is lowering the
multi-residential tax ratio from 2.74 to 2.5965 this year.
So what does the tab come to? Well, for the
2009 tax year, if you consider the average residential property value is
$257,000, then you will have a tax bill of $3,433, which amounts to an increase
of $113. "We have approved the lowest tax increase of the past six years,
while investing in priority services and infrastructure," says Mayor Karen
Farbridge. "I want to thank our City management team for its diligence and
hard work throughout this year’s budget process."
This ain’t over
Since the beginning of the year, Guelph
Beat has covered the renewed activism to block the development of the Hanlon Creek Business Park in the
City’s south end, and now a new voice has joined the call to stop development
in this area. Residences and businesses in Guelph may have
received a pamphlet from the Victoria, BC-based Wilderness Committee calling
for action to “Save Guelph’s last old-growth forest.” The Wilderness Committee
is working with Land Is More Important Than Sprawl (LIMITS), who is continuing
to hold meetings, events and nature walks in the affected area to raise
awareness. Visit there new website at http://www.landismoreimportantthansprawl.com/
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