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HIGHLANDERS are going up tm the world at West Vancouver Secondary — or at
least a derelict Beetle portraying the school tcams and proudly displaying a pair of
tartan drawers aloft — would indicate. Tartan wreckage appeared on the rooftop thi
week as stedents warm up for grad celebrations abead.

THE VOICE OF NORTH AND WEST VANCOUVER

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Relying on variable millrate

EVERYBODY'S HAPPY with North Vancouver
City council’s austerity budget — except maybe
homeowners who will pay about $25 more on
their property taxes this year.

Mayor Jack Loucks said
he was happy, the aldermen
said they were happy, and
businessmen and _ strata
apartment owners should be
happy to see their own
property taxes decrease —
an average drop of $633 for
commercial properties and
$70 for strata units.

The budget bylaw and tax
rates bylaw were given first
three readings Monday
night. They still have to be

By TERRY LAVENDER

finally adopted to become
law.

But there were some
words of warning as the
happiness and
congratulations to senior
City staff were passed
around by council membrs
Monday night.

The City's tax system
could be put out of whack if

the New Democratic Party is
elected as the government
on May 5; the property tax
figures do not include the
school board levy; and
another austere budget on
the order of this one would
mean - a ‘serious
deterioration” in the level of
services in following years,
according to Loucks.

The budget, and the
proposed taxes are based on
a variable tax rate, which has
still not become law. The
Social Credit government
has promised to implement
such a rate (which allows
municipalities to decide

CONTINUED ON PAGE A2

COUNCIL NIXES SPCA REQUEST

Glass-topped wall

WENDY HAYSOM

A RASH of vandalism
is plaguing staff at the
SPCA building in
Ambleside Park and
now they want to fight
back — with broken
glass.

Fearing for the safety of
the animals in her care,
Maric Moscovitch, president
of the West Vancouver
SPCA branch. has asked
municipal council = fos
permission to pul picces of
jagged glass along the top of
an cight-foot wall to be built
around the new SPCA
building in tho park.

“The destruction going on
in the past three or four days

shows how much we nced
something,” she urged
aldermen at Monday's
council mecting.

During the weekend, she
said, groups of children were
found trying to break wiring
and smashing ncwly laid
pipes with boulders. They
also cut a large walk-through
hole in the fencing at the
back of the building. A
couple of weeks carlier, she
added, youths broke in,
drank beer, smoked
Cigarctes and opened all the
animal cages

Staff have installed heavy
locks on all the cage doors
because they are afraid that,
if the animals escape and get
out on the road, they will be
killed.

A couple of years ago, she
said, the SPCA almost host a

too tough on vandals

family of six five-weck old
puppies when they were
CONTINUED ON PAGE A4

WEDNESDAY
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THURSDAY
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