A8 - Sunday News, January 24, 1982 NEGOTIATIONS between North Vancouver City and the National Harbours Board (NHB) for land to widen the Low Level Road could be compared to a poker game. The stakes are high, the last cards have been dealt, and it’s questionable who has the winning hand. But the City has an ace up its sleeve — ‘political help’ — mysteriously referred to at last Monday’s council Hooker MACHINERY assess - ment for Canadian Occidental (Hooker Chemicals) is going up — but not by the $37 million reported in the News two weeks ago. meeting. The game has been going on for some time, with the City eventually bargaining down the NHB to a price close to $450,000 from a Starting price set by the federal agency of about $800,000. But as Council readies a bylaw declaring its intent to purchase the property, which must be done by the end of March, it is hoping the political help it asked for will come through. Council didn’t go into elaborate detail on what the help might be. Even as it attempted to pass the bylaw Monday night, some aldermen fett they were showing their hand too much, and forced deferral of the bylaw. “To pay $450,000 for this land is a rip-off as far as the citizens are concerned,” stormed Alderman Stella Jo Dean, “and a windfall profit for the NHB.” She said even the NHB appraiser acknowledged that one piece of property had no real use except for road widening. Two pieces of property had never even been on the tax rolls, she told council. But she did allow that one piece of property, with a gas station on if, was worth a small sum of money. Alderman Bill Sorenson suggested the bylaw be deferred. “T’'m in favor of Low Level Road, too,” he told the meeting, “but I'm not in favor of giving up without a fight. “We have introduced this bylaw but I would like it stopped there. Let it be known that it ran into a roadblock.” Low Level Road widening a poker game - Other members of council agreed, except for Aldermen Gary Payne and Frank Marcino. “This bylaw is the guarantee we can buy this land by the end of March,” said Payne. “It has to be done by the end of March in order to get the provincial government to pay half of it. “Lord knows when they will be able to make the next offer.” assessment plummets after error The increase is really only $7.3 million, North Van- couver City council was told last week. A printing error was made on the assessment roll, producing the much larger figure, said City Director of Purchasing and Property Gerald Brewer. But tax crusader Betty Griffin is sceptical about that. “T think that ‘error’ was perhaps to make sure there was no third party in- tervention this year,” told the News. Griffin and her Committee for Eaar Assessments made a third party intervention last year, claiming Hooker's assessment was too low. The appeal was rejected twice by she BS mailbox Children the losers in tax battle Dear Editor: Throughout the last year the West Vancouver Parents ’ Association and many of the districts’ school parent groups have written to the Minister of Education, Brian Smith, our MLA Allan Williams and other provincial officials ex- pressing our deepening concern over the effects of the school funding and taxations system. We received polite acknowledgements and assurances that the problem was under review. We have not seen any changes. West -Vancouver tax- payers are angry, and rightly so. The unrealistic increases in property assessments, on which the school tax is based, are paper profits and not an indication of wealth. But the potential for damage is in more than our pocketbooks. Property owners, many who no longer have children in the schools, are becoming increasingly resentful of our = school system and the youth of today who are costing us so much to educate. Many believe that their huge tax bill reflects lavish frills or other excesses or inef ficiencies in the local system The truth is that West Vancouver is) behind many other distrets in both BIONAIRE 1000 AIR CLEANER/IONIZER IMPORTANT BENEFITS Peery pe de at rare Sotatahe eee ae rbd. yeti be in Bee vena te te steht, arty MARKETING MANAGE MENT ASSOCIATES STt Mos KARP ANG? Leon Vu) SCORE TRA PO ABRAR Ra AG WhESt VAN E46 vit ia, (604) 922 7088 cost per pupil and progressive programming. No wonder our anger! We pay the highest average school tax in the province, more than double the Vancouver average. Why then do we not have a school system of a_ calibre proportionate to our taxes? Because under the present system what we pay depends largely on our assessed property value and not on the educational services received. What will happen now? If the West Vancowver School Board, under the lash of the taxpayer, is forced to drastically cut the district's 1982 proposed budget, who will suffer and who will gain? The child in the West Vancouver school desk would definitely lose, while the property owner would see only a minimal reduction in his tax bill. The only party to gain would be the provincial government who, through their present system of school funding and taxation, would still take More than one million locally raised tax dollars from School District No. 45 to finance education in other low-tax areas of the province. Rage is justifiable but is the system? Where is the equity in this cost sharing system that was originally intended to render all districts “equal” in their ability to provide = an education for the children of this province? Who cares? The Provincial Government? The Minister of Education? Our Honourable Member Alan Williams? As taxpaying parents we are gravely [ ee IM ET EC) TIME OONT a roe thee fess Overstocked ont Cali tor more information or ask for a FAEE BROCHURE Nordic DOWN COMFORTERS 1076 W. 2nd Ave., at Fic Stremt, Vancouver peta Pye fas toy tat be ee have chock at greatly reduced prices Door bs ortib tens moet nm. eethecrie et , leow 734-2311 731-0713 GIVE BLOOD. GIVE LIFE! concerned by the polarization of interests this situation has caused in our municipality. We have a crisis in West Vancouver. Changes must be made to alleviate the inequities of the present system of school funding and taxation. Unless the government acts now our taxpayers will suffer but our children will be the real victims! Joan Russell Chairman WVPA_ +Committee Education Finance Pamela Clark President, WVPA on ; Liew ee the board. But she’s not appealing the assessment appeal new assessment — even though it is almost $30 million less than she thought it would be. “If I had time I sure as hell would,” she said. Hooker is located in North Vancouver District, but the Committee for Fair Assessments asked both City and District councils to look into Hooker's assessment, said Griffin. Jewellery Appraisal Service Alevanden Mankwant FINE JEWELLERY LTD Park Royal-North Mall 926-7213 PUBLIC NOTICE The Corporation of the District of North Vancouver 1982 Municipal Grants to Community Groups & Associations Application Deadline January 31, 1982 Any community groups or associations intending to request a Municipal Grant during 1982 are hereby advised that the deadline for such grant applications is January 31, 1982 Such requests should be ad- dressed to the Municipal Clerk and delivered to 355 West Queens Road, North Vancouver, B.C All grant requests will be reviewed by the Advisory Commission on Community Services and recom- mendations torwarded to Council for consideration H W Egleston Municipal Clerk har Naturally weal CORTE IN bet Maur ‘darth Thar Syuses Yd rer iNT HAE AAGAL ar s ~ —~ The Cut The natural cut follows the flow of fhe and is cut exactly as the hai falls wear Comb and let dry or blow dry The Curl / Permacurl is a new PH controlled perm Combined with a natural cul to create an exciting new look you just wash and No setting of blow drying We SHPERCUTTERS HIS N HER NATURAL HAIR DE SIGNS Hy appomtment 9B4 VB17 itn answer call 985 6634 ty porte IN TE HINA TIONAL PL ASA HOTEL COORINE FA MARINE (D8 ANDO APT ANG) Hl) Sli shah ite Wadd shah dst Ae WORTH FIVE DOLLARS HIRST APPOINTME NI t XPIRES JAN 31 ONE COUPON PER PERSON WYSE yy yyPyy ‘yyy ppyyyyyyys Completely wash and Sat Yam Spm we Wan Pym Pan So a Beanasts a ns “ \ ostomy