By Pepper Parr
February 26th, 2019
BURLINGTON, ON
It has been chop, chop, chop at the Operational budget review meeting that started this morning.
City staff came in with a proposed tax increase of 3.99% – Mayor Meed Ward said she liked the look of 2.99% – and at noon this council had the amount whittled down to 3.1%
This new Council is looking to the reserve funds for the dollars that are needed to pay for some of the new asks. They actually debated on whether or not they would hire new bus drivers for the new buses they approved of last night.
Brant Museum Executive Director left the Standing Committee meeting before getting the wording on the Staff Direction that was prepared for her.
The Brant Museum got a close close look – and had its funding request handled as a one time expense – council wants to see what the Museum staff can do on the revenue side.
Councillors Galbraith, Bentevegna and Mayor Meed Ward worked at lessening the new spending and using reserve funds to pay for new services.
This is a different council – one that talks openly about how big an advocate ward 4 Councillor Shawna Stolte has become for the fire department. There is a ride on a fire truck in the works for her. Mayor Meed Ward seems intent on being on that fire truck as well.
Good work so far for this council.
So-called tax savings are only delaying the inevitable to a time when things cost more and in the meantime it’s the more disadvantaged among us who pay the piper through increased user fees or lesser services – or both.
The time for deciding on the whether or not for more bus drivers should have occurred prior to the decision to purchase the needed buses. Decisions to purchase are easier to make – it’s the operational costs that have the long term impact.
“This new Council is looking to the reserve funds for the dollars that are needed to pay for some of the new asks. They actually debated on whether or not they would hire new bus drivers for the new buses they approved of last night.” – no point in buying 3 new buses and not hiring drivers.
If money is being taken from reserve funds does this mean that in the near future taxpayers will have to replenish these funds? If yes, is this true tax saving?????
We are in the position we are now because in 2008 there was not tax increase.