Thursday, December 8, 2011

The drive to seven is on. Paying for it.

After a year of task forces, strategic planning, creation of policy and procedures.
We learnt just a few weeks back that the municipality has been stream lined from the previous cumbersome structure of four departments each with a director reporting to the CAO for a total administration team of five people.
Down to a thrifty three departments with a team of up to six administrators reporting to a CAO for a total administration team of seven people.  

Today I see the next step to the drive to seven is in motion the Director of Planning-Engineering and Operations has been posted. http://www.aamdc.com/classifieds/jobs/guest/detailjob/141-director-of-planning-engineering-and-operations

People keep asking me around town how are they going to pay for all of these positions plus the strategic plan.
I see a number of ways they are going to achieve this.

1. The strategic plan some of those issues are a one time cost so they need to find some easily accessible money. (Back taxes with the big jump in penalties they are anticipating great globs of money to flow in next year prior to those penalties kicking in)

2. Savings from the collective agreement the contract with CUPE is up on January 31st, it was not by accident that Councilor Mitchell was replaced with Councilor Saindon on the bargaining committee I suspect they will probably bring in a high priced lawyer or consultant to assist in this process. There is potentially large savings in the collective agreement the only problem is you have to get the folks sitting on the other side to agree to those changes.

3. The perpetual money generators (more often referred to as taxpayers) the message as already been sent with the increase in franchise fees, ($200,000 per year) and a tax increase last spring of 2% that most people anticipated to be zero.

4. User fees I anticipate that a lot of the fees that people use to pay for various municipal services will be increased.

5. Funding for external groups, many organizations receive funding from the municipality; Museum, Allied arts, Underground mine, Women's Centre etc etc I think you will see less funding for these types of groups.

6. New assessment most people don't realize that every year new assessment increases the tax base by 1-2% which should easily in today's economy cover any cost of living increases the municipality incurs.

It will be interesting six months from now to look back at this list and see how accurate my predictions were!

10 comments:

Tom said...

Dean I agree with you 100% on everthing you just said. If the municipality wants to save some money why not cut back on advertising? Oh thats right the Pass Herald is on the Mayors side. Council better not touch that one. Any word on what the official policy and procedure is regarding advertising?

Anonymous said...

So if your the employees would you really consider giving up anything the way these guys are spending money.
Don't tell me your broke and then go out and hire all these new people. Its ridiculous to say the least.

Steve

Anonymous said...

Dean I have no problem with most of what you list. Various groups need to go out and fund raise. User fees should be higher I do not wish to subsidize somebodys recreation that works at the mines.
If they have to stick it to CUPE too bad they can also go work at the mines if money is such a big concern.
The only thing that's a problem for me is I voted for this council to stop taxes from going up.

Paul

Anonymous said...

Dilbert fantasy:

New senior bureaucrats who will insist on hiring junior bureaucrats to actually skate around doing any work ...

Pretty soon the town admin will be as structures d and efficient as some school division headquarters.

I,too, felt I was electing a nuts and blots council that could hold the line on expenses. I have to ask why we have had so much turnover in staff and why we have to hire even more staff?

I don't see any great hope for any strategic local regeneration. Let's write a new policy!!!

Anonymous said...

After a year or more with this new council, it appears we have a mayor and councillors that know how to come up with tax and cut policies that any 5th grader could do equally as well, but are short on how to actually earn (not steal, as is what they are doing with their new Property Tax Bylaw) more tax revenues by creating an environment that will both attract and retain people and businesses to this community. And thereby increase our tax base so that we do not have to continue cutting so many services, while also not having to resort to diabolical ways to fill municipal coffers by unfairly discriminating against the most vulnerable in our society.

Picking on the poor and defenceless in our community while leaving themselves and their rich friends alone, does not go far in my opinion to demonstrating self-sacrifice, but does go a long way to clearly showing us what a bunch of useless and cowardly bullies we now have on council.

Ones who know how to tax and spend, but not how to earn.

JP

Anonymous said...

165 days since Blairmore and Coleman shops were consolidated

Anonymous said...

Picking on the poor and defenceless in our community while leaving themselves and their rich friends alone, does not go far in my opinion to demonstrating self-sacrifice, but does go a long way to clearly showing us what a bunch of useless and cowardly bullies we now have on council.

Ones who know how to tax and spend, but not how to earn.

Yup

Anonymous said...

What's the matter Dean, you waiting to see which way the wind blows?

Anonymous said...

Anom 5:53 PM
You must be confused which Blog you are on. “you waiting to see which way the wind blows?” I think you are looking for the councilor’s blog.

Anonymous said...

You did good Dean! In their arrogance councillors were blowing hot air and with the following post you have blown the air out of their sails.