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By Eileen Argyris Cramahe Reeve Stuart Oliver believes, "If a municipality is not going ahead, it is falling behind." Major challenges facing Cramahe Township in the year 1997 will be "trying to run the municipality in the black on current revâ€" enues," he said last week. Declining roads subsidies force cutbacks in Cramakhe In spite of the fact that the township has $1.3 million in reserves, Mr. Oliver says cuts in provinâ€" cial grants will mean, "We‘ll either have to cut back on spending or Increase taxes. â€" "It‘s not likely we‘ll use reserves (to meet current expenses). â€" they‘re for emergency situations." As always, the biggest concern in the township is roads. "That‘s where 90 per cent of our money goes," Mr. Oliver stated. He told the Chronicle, he always stresses to the roads crews that roads must be kept up, especialâ€" ly in rural municipalities like Cramahe, because, "this is what the taxpayers see for their money." However, he said the curâ€" rent squeeze between declining provincial fundâ€" ing and a taxation level that the council will not want to see increased, may mean a decrease in roads service. That could mean less salting and sanding and slower or less frequent plowing, the reeve admitâ€" ted. "It could mean stepping back:maybeâ€"20 or 25 years, as far as keeping the roads sanded and plowed," he acknowledged. "One thing is for sure, if we keep up as we have been doing, it‘s going to take away someplace else, because the grants just aren‘t there in the road end." Since it was elected in June, 1995, the current Ontario government of the Mike Harris Tories has folâ€" lowed a pattern of fiscal austerity and downloading" of costs that has seen municipalities bearing more and more of the burâ€" den of their own desired improvements and necesâ€" sary services. However, this year, he said the roads department would probably have to start looking at redoing \ some of the hardâ€"topped roads that are starting to break up. "If we get a bad winter from Jan. 1 on, there could be a lot of our money spent for the comâ€" ing year," the reeve cauâ€" tioned. Mr. Oliver said, in the past, the township has established a trend of hardâ€"topping a few more miles.of road everyâ€"year.... _ And there will not likely be funds to add more hardâ€"top in other areas. _ "We will try to do as much in ‘97 as finances permit," he promised. 4)