ward 6 town of milton

Family Day In Milton February 21 2011

Mike Cluett

As I sit here and go through my calendars (yes more than one) scheduling in meetings and other work related items, I just remembered that February 21st is Family Day (ie: a day off)  We haven’t had a shortage of days off in February with our snow day last week and the PA Day’s from school…we have Family Day off.  I’m sure that no one will send me an email complaining about that.  Well, you never know.

From the Milton website, here is a listing of things to do on Family Day in Milton.

Between the Milton Leisure Centre, Milton Sports Centre and John Tonelli Arena there are lots of events for the family to enjoy.  Family Yoga, Zumba (I have NO idea what that is, but it sounds like FUN) and dodge ball (Anthony would love that!) is going on at the Leisure Centre from 9AM to 12PM.

There will also be free public skating at John Tonelli Arena, sponsored by RBC, CIBC, and Halton MPP Ted Chudleigh.

Milton Community Resource Centre (MCRC) will also be having a FREE Mom & Baby Zumba event at 10AM at their location (410 Bronte Street South) Again, call the numbers to register as space will be limited.

Check out the schedule and get more details by calling the locations and pre-register (if necessary) and make Family Day in Milton on the 21st a great day.

Milton Police Blotter – February 3 2011

Mike Cluett

From the Milton Canadian Champion

Trucks, wire stolen

Between 7:45 a.m. and 5:26 p.m. Monday, the Hydro One site was broken into by thieves who climbed the firm’s Lower Baseline fence.

F250 pick-up truck with 2366 RW plates and a Ford Ecoline truck with 161 MF plates were taken.  Also stolen was about 1,000 pounds of copper wire.  The estimated value of the property is $40,000.

 Wire stolen from scrapyard

 Overnight Sunday, 43,000 pounds of copper wire was taken from a First Line scrap recycling site.  The estimated value of the goods is $5,000.

Man charged in break-in

The Rock Universe shop on Main Street was broken into Saturday at 11:45 p.m.  The front door was smashed.  Loose change was stolen.

Later in the evening, a man was arrested by plain-clothes officers in the area and charged with break and enter and breach of probation.

House broken into

A home on Nassagaweya Puslinch Town Line was broken into sometime between 4 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Saturday.  Entry was gained by forcing open the door to the home, which was under construction.

Stolen was 50 to 60 pounds of copper wire worth an estimated $225.   

Cars broken into

Between 8 a.m. and 6:40 p.m. Tuesday, three cars were broken into at Glen Eden Ski and Snowboard Centre on Kelso Road.  In the first incident a wallet was stolen containing identification.

The second break-in resulted in a wallet containing ID and credit cards being taken.  In the third incident, a purse containing ID was stolen.

Police are investigating.

Milton Town Budget Barely Passes

Mike Cluett

From Christina Commisso, Milton Canadian Champion

Town budget barely passes

Council divided in approving Milton budget that will see municipal taxes rise by 4.58%

The 11 members of council spent little time discussing the increase during Monday’s marathon meeting, which saw only six of 11 councillors vote in favour of the controversial budget. Much of the divide and discussion came down to a 1 per cent tax levy that will establish a hospital expansion reserve fund.

Though Milton continues to enjoy one of the lowest property tax rates in the GTA, the 4.58 per cent increase was still too much for some councillors, including Milton’s mayor, to swallow.

“You’re always going to get differences, but a council split down the middle doesn’t send a very good message to the community and it doesn’t show a lot of confidence,” said Mayor Gord Krantz. “It sends a message that a lot of people are not comfortable with what’s going on. I hope it’s not a prelude of things to come.”

Voting against the budget were Krantz and councillors Tony Lambert, Greg Nelson, Rick Malboeuf and Mike Cluett. Voting for the budget were councillors Colin Best, Sharon Barkley, Cindy Lunau, Arnold Huffman, Rick Di Lorenzo and Zeeshan Hamid.

The increase isn’t nearly as steep as staff previously predicted was necessary, when an initial budget report suggested a levy of close to 7 per cent was needed. The report presented to the budget committee last week showed a 5.72 per cent levy, with options to bring that amount down to 2.08 per cent.

While a lot of Town Hall’s priorities were set during the previous council term, newly elected and returning councillors did make some slight changes to bring the increase closer to the rate of inflation. A $100,000 bike lane implementation program was reduced to $50,000 to be spread out over four years. The opening of the Milton Centre for the Arts and the new main library was delayed from April to June and a snowplow advertising campaign was eliminated from the budget.

The changes saved about $143,000.

The Town’s $164.2 million budget includes 80 infrastructure projects that total $85.6 million. The capital budget was largely influenced by eight multi-year projects pre-approved in 2010, which include the Main Street grade separation and several new facilities that should be operational by the year’s end.

On a $350,000 home, the 4.58 per cent increase translates to a $40.70 increase in the urban area and $34.05 for rural homes.

Combined with the regional, local and educational components of residential taxes, which account for 44 per cent, 29 per cent and 27 per cent respectively, Miltonians are looking at an overall tax increase of 2.2 per cent in the urban area ($19.41/$100,000 of assessed value) and 2.09 per cent in the rural area ($17.48/$100,000 of assessed value).

Region Of Halton Approves 1.4% Increase

Mike Cluett

Again from Kim Arnott

Region settles on 1.4% tax hike

In a budget that will see close to $1 billion spent on infrastructure, programs, services, regional staff and police, Halton’s council was hung up on about $190,000.That amount represented the difference between capping Regional staff pay increases at 2.25 per cent, which was the amount decided upon during Monday’s budget deliberations, or at 2 per cent, which some councillors deemed would bring public sector wages further in line with those in the private sector.

“I think that the public is looking for us to show some leadership and keep in line with the private sector,” said Halton Hills Councillor Jane Fogal Monday.

Fogal introduced the motion after the defeat of a similar motion from Burlington councillor Jack Dennison that would have seen pay increases capped at 1.9 per cent.

“Is it a lot of money, no. But we have to do something different. Public sector salaries have gotten out of line with the private sector,” said Dennison.

Fellow Burlington Councillor Paul Sharman supported the motion, citing an imbalance in private and public sector wages and increasing poverty rates in Halton.

However, the majority around the council table were satisfied with the cap.

“This isn’t a negotiation. We’re not setting numbers in stone,” said Oakville Councillor Jeff Knoll. “We’re stuck at a $191,000 decision and who are we putting this on the shoulders of — our staff. It sets a tone.”

Following a half-hour in-camera session, council reconvened and the motion to decrease the cap to 2 per cent was defeated 15-6.

However, there was no divide when it came down to the approval of the Region’s 2011 budget, which was unanimously passed during Wednesday’s meeting.

Halton’s 2011 operating budget will see more than $700 million spent on costs, including police services and regional staff, and the capital budget totals more than $200 million.

While the Regional services budget represents a 0.2 per cent decrease from last year, the rising costs of policing and water and wastewater rates have offset that tax cut.

When combined with the 4.4 per cent increase in the Halton Regional Police Service budget, taxpayers will see an increase of 1.4 per cent on the total Regional property tax bill. For a household assessed at $350,000, their 2011 taxes will increase about $19 over last year.

The approved rate-supported water and wastewater budget for 2011 sees an increase of 4.1 per cent. For a typical household using 300 cubic metres of water a year, this equals an increase of about $31 over 2010 levels.

—with files from Kim Arnott, special

Milton Police Blotter – January 20 2011

Mike Cluett

From the Milton Canadian Champion

Teen robbed of cell phone outside Memorial Arena

Shortly after 1 p.m. Tuesday, two males approached a 16-year-old youth outside Milton Memorial Arena, police said.

The two males proceeded to detain the victim, by holding onto his backpack, and steal his Blackberry.  The suspects fled, crossing Thompson Road.

The first suspect is described as five-foot-10 and in his late teens or early twenties. He was wearing baggy jeans and a black puffy jacket.  The second suspect has a thin build and short spiky hair.

Both were possibly of Middle-Eastern decent, police said.

Cameras stolen in break-in

A Cannon Rebel camera along with its 55mm lens and an Olympus camera were taken from a Sixth Line home near Derry Road last Thursday.

The break-in occurred between 2 and 3 p.m.  The culprits smashed through the home’s front door to gain entry.

Break-in at shop

Pro-Nail on Main Street East was broken into after the front door and window were smashed overnight Friday.   During the incident, two containers of nail-hardener, with a combined estimated value of $350, were taken.   Loose change was also taken from the shop.

CDs and DVDs stolen from car

Overnight last week, a Kia Sedona was broken into at a residence on Trudeau Drive.   During the incident, CDs and DVDs were stolen.  Police said the car was unlocked.

Two vehicles broken into

Overnight January 12, cars on Switzer Crescent and Cousens Trail were broken into, police said.  During the first incident, a wallet, which contained identification, credit cards and cash, was taken from the unlocked car.

In the second incident, the same items were taken from a locked 2009 Jeep.

Milton Police Blotter – January 13 2011

Mike Cluett

From the Milton Canadian Champion

Police respond to snowstorm-related car crashes

Local police attended to six car accidents between the hours of 6:55 and 8:42 yesterday morning, at the tail end of this week’s snowstorm.  Although there were no injuries, all accidents resulted in property damage.Locations of the accidents included Britannia and Trafalgar roads, Martin Street and Steeles Avenue, Hwy. 407 and Sixth Line and Lower Base Line West and Sixth Line.

Home ransacked

A laptop, Blackberry charger, Olympus camera and coins worth $86 were stolen from a Sixth Line home.  The culprit forced open the front door sometime between 8 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. January 4.  The estimated value of the stolen items is $1,086.

Three cars broken into

An iPod Touch, with an estimated value of $350, was stolen from a car on Trudeau Drive between 3 p.m. January 3 and 8 a.m. January 4.  A wallet including seven credit cards and $50 cash was stolen from a Nissan Rogue on Dolby Crescent January 3.  Overnight January 3, $20 in cash and five CDs, worth an estimated $120, were stolen from a silver BMW on Menefy Place.

PlayStation stolen

Between 6 a.m. and 11:15 p.m. Monday, a Barclay Circle home with an unlocked door was broken into.  Stolen were a Sony PlayStation worth an estimated $400, eight games worth about $80, and loose change.  Police are investigating.

GPS taken from car

Overnight last Thursday, an unlocked vehicle on Mary Street was broken into.  During the incident, a Garmin GPS worth an estimated $175 was stolen.

Four cars broken into

Overnight Saturday, cars on Maguire Trail, Riddell Court, Hepburn Road and Stark Circle were broken into.  In the first incident, a wallet containing identification, credit cards and cash was taken.  In the second break-in, two CDs, loose change and Ray-Ban sunglasses worth an estimated $200 were taken.  In the third and fourth incidents, loose change was stolen.

Items stolen from cars

Overnight Monday, identification, credit cards and cash were taken from a car on Trudeau Drive.  Police are investigating.