WATERLOO REGION — Regional officials are hopeful proposed changes to the provincial Development Charges Act announced Thursday will allow them to fund part of light rail transit with development charges and ease the burden on taxpayers.

"Financing the LRT and (express buses) is a big-ticket item and going forward into future budgets we have that planned for but there are other pressing needs," Coun. Sean Strickland said.

Politicians have lobbied the provincial government for several years to allow municipalities to use the fees cities charge developers for growth to help pay for transit.

Those fees have traditionally been used for sewers, water mains and roads.

The municipal affairs and housing ministry announced Thursday it's proposing reforms to the Development Charges Act that would allow cities to also use those collected fees for transit and waste diversion.

Also proposed are changes to the Planning Act.

The bill still needs approval, which is expected in the spring, according to a ministry spokesperson.

"It just didn't make any sense that the province had an agenda for moving transit projects forward, especially rapid transit projects, but didn't give us all the tools we needed to do it," Regional Chair Ken Seiling said.

He said the City of Toronto and York Region were permitted to use development charges for subway projects.

"We couldn't understand why they couldn't do it for the rest of us," he said.

The region's $1.9-billion rapid transit project is expected up in running in late 2017.

Taxes are expected to increase about 12.9 per cent overall between 2011 and 2019 for bus expansion and light rail.

By 2019, it's estimated the average regional taxpayer will have paid more than $1,000 for light rail and annual taxes will be about $200 per year higher than in 2011.

Coun. Tom Galloway said it's uncertain if the proposed changes would help with the first phase of light rail.

They could be good news for Phase 2 which would see trains run from Fairview Park Mall in Kitchener to the Ainslie Street Transit Terminal in Cambridge.

"We're already into the construction of Phase 1 so the sooner the better (for the changes)," Galloway said. "We might be able to have a few additional tools to fund some of those costs but it also sheds a brighter light on Phase 2."

Proposed changes are the result of input collected in more than 20 public workshops and stakeholder sessions in 2013 and 2014.

The proposed Planning Act changes would extend city Official Plans that guide growth and development to 10 years instead of five and would take away the ability to appeal some items at the Ontario Municipal Board.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

An overhaul to the board, which decides land planning disputes, has long been called for by many municipalities and politicians.

Under the proposed changes cities would be given time to solve disputes outside the board process.

Changes would also allow citizens more say in planning processes and how their communities grow.