(BlackburnNews.com file photo by Adelle Loiselle.)(BlackburnNews.com file photo by Adelle Loiselle.)
Windsor

Mayor Cool To 1% Roads Levy

At least one city councillor thinks Windsor residents would happily pay more if it meant their roads were in good shape, but the mayor isn't so sure.

Speaking to BlackburnNews.com from the Ontario Good Roads Association's conference in Toronto, Councillor Hilary Payne wants to add a 1% levy on the property tax bill next year to invest in road reconstruction across Windsor. He says another 1% would be added each year for four years, at the end of which the city would have an extra $60-million. Payne says he takes his cue from the residents he spoke with during the last election campaign. "People appreciate the 0% tax increase over the past seven years, but they wouldn't mind paying a little bit more to get the roads fixed."

Mayor Drew Dilkens would rather stick to the plan. "90 days after taking office I'm not going to change gears," he says. "I've been very clear that I want to hold the line on taxes. I'm not about to relent now and say let's pile on and have people put in a 1% capital levy, and then a hospital levy, and then regular operating costs are going up," says Dilkens. "We still have the highest unemployment rate in Canada."

He says it could be up to the city to also find cash for the new acute care hospital proposed for the region, a sum he says could be in the ballpark of $75-million. The county would have to pay another $75-million to make up 10% of the total cost of the new hospital. The city's five-year capital plan calls for $268-million in spending for road and sewer repairs.

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