Well here we are continuing down the path of trying to get a budget in the Crowsnest Pass. As we go through the old process of drag it out, stall and wait until the last possible moment to come up with the tax rate for the next year.
Monday night we did make a little progress we eliminated one of our cleanups, a request from the Chamber of Commerce for $25,000, a request to spend an extra $27,000 grooming trails, and will bring in $3,000 to remove deep freezes.
That leaves a gap of $156,461 to get down to 5% which is still high when you compare to other municipalities check the list on the left side of this blog. To pay that amount the increase would have to go to 7.5% and zero dollars would be placed into reserves. Some will argue that dollars should not go into reserves during difficult economical times, take a look on the Municipal Web site you will see that we have been depleting reserves for the last six years.
The problem we have, is we has councilors must be prepared to make difficult choices to get down to reasonable tax increase.
Councilors need to do one of several things, come to budget meetings prepared with ideas on how to decrease the budget shortfall, be willing to look at reducing services/programs/expenditures, or be prepared to go with a 7.5% tax Increase.
It gets so tiring listening to "I'm not prepared to look at that", "we can't cut that", well bring your idea's lets debate them, I have no problem going with better ideas than mine.
Or maybe the good taxpayers of the Crowsnest Pass can live with a 7.5% increase this year!
3 comments:
For the record, I have a 'real problem' with this mayor... and present council's... track record of cutting services and programs, because they have to pay more and more each year for debt servicing costs.
In this regard, I understand that this year we will be adding a further debt of approx. $1.5 million to our existing debt, because of the planned upgrading to our sewer lagoon (which should have been done years back, if we had a more prudent local government) .
If this mayor (and current council) continues to spend the way they have been for the past number of years, it is a forgone conclusion that taxpayers can expect even more in the way of property tax increases and service and program cuts, in order that interest payments expense on our ever increasing debt load is paid.
With the above in mind, I think it only prudent and fair that local politicians tell the electorate that this is how they plan on paying for past and future projects, is not only through annual property tax increases, but by way of future service and program cuts, as they are doing again this year.
A council that allows development to occur haphazardly all over the Pass with little regard to the environment and taxpayer cost, while doing little if anything to stimulate the economy, while also taking on ever increasing debt loads, will continue to rely on ever increasing property taxes... and service and program cuts.
If you want the taxpayer to accept more and more property tax increases and service and program cuts in the future, you (mayor... and council) had better get a reign on your spending too!
I heard once from someone that works in the town office that Pincher Creek would love to take over control of the 'Pass. I believe that if you were to ask many of us how we actually feel, you would find out that this feeling is quite common.
Being the only person that does his homework and actually attempts to read the situation, makes you someone that at least can answer a question.
The question is "what direction do you see for this area?"
Personally, I don't want to know how the damn fishing is on the river, I already know that.
I don't care how the chairs in your chamber hurts your back.
I could care less about the library books being unsightly and I do not benefit off of owning half of the Pass and being Dr. Slumlord...
Conflict of interest is a term that should be drilled into all of councils heads, everyone is aware of it and it makes you all seem a little on the lightweight side when it comes to taking anything that council comes up with seriously. But now you are reaching deeply into everyones pockets in a time of world wide economic turmoil.
I will speak for everyone and say that any tax increase is unacceptable. Plain and simple.
No clean up and start chopping.
Post a Comment