Town getting final flood payment Budget up for first reading

Nearly two years after the flood of 2002, the Town of Fort Frances will be getting its final share of disaster relief funding after council amends an agreement with the province at Monday night’s regular meeting.
The town previously had received interim Ontario Disaster Relief Assistance Program (ODRAP) funding in the amount of $226,160 since the fall of 2002.
Once amended, the agreement will see the ministry pay the town a final payment of $112,463.45 (for a total of $338,623.45).
This money is to be used to repair infrastructure damaged in the extensive flooding in June, 2002.
As reported in Friday’s Daily Bulletin, council also is expected to vote on the town’s 2004 budget in principle Monday night, with it to be passed as a bylaw at the May 10 meeting.
Two alternatives for tax hikes are before council for consideration.
One possible route will see a tax increase of 14.67 percent for residential, multi-residential, pipeline, and farmland properties, with a hike of 1.9 percent for commercial and 7.34 for industrial.
The second alternative on the table would see an increase of 15.8 percent for residential, multi-residential, pipeline, and farmland properties, a 7.7 percent hike for industrial, and no tax increase for commercial.
Other business at Monday night’s meeting, which is scheduled to get underway at 6:25 p.m., will include:
•an update on the dog dung situation;
•a verbal police services activity report from OPP S/Sgt. High Dennis;
•a letter from Linda Wall, chairperson of the Fort Frances Children’s Complex Advisory Committee, regarding child care issues;
•a request from Riverside Health Care Facilities, Inc. to proclaim May 10-16, 2004 as “National Nurses Week” in the Town of Fort Frances;
•a request from the Ontario Family Fishing Weekend steering committee to proclaim July 9-11 as 2004 Ontario Family Fishing Weekend in the Town of Fort Frances; and
•a request for support of a resolution from the Township of North Shore to create a town youth participation strategy.
The committee of the whole will meet first starting at 5:30 p.m.