Spoon fed the truth for Christmass….. Hallelujah

Available on Brian Gallant’s blog in response to Peter Rosners comments it looks like we are getting spoon fed the “truth” for Christmas. Available at the following address:

http://briangallant.ca/wordpress/2012/12/11/municipal-inspection/

I would like to address Councillor Gallants comments, first impression for anybody that did not know better would be that everything is good in our little community:

1. He addresses the volunteer boards issue, looking from the outside I would have the impression that everything with volunteer boards is good. Did it not take six months of advertising to fill all the boards and committee’s if they are indeed filled. Question for my readers does anybody think council would have backed down on the Pool authority prior to the petition, the authority had two letters from administration telling them they were done. Did council not know? Is this one of those cases of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing?
2. He appears to place all the blame on the firemen because they walked out. What did he and the rest of council expect? What would happen at the mine if a Union President was fired on the spot. No suspension pending investigation, no external review by an independent agency.   
3. Peace Officers have given almost no tickets for bylaw infractions (10 in the past six months) despite hundreds of complaints. That would lead me to believe that the community has been cleaned up? Very good. They have given a number of tickets to non-residents, so are our Peace Officers treating residents different to non-residents? I can speed on 20^th avenue but not my friend from Sparwood can’t.. This will work well for community branding “Crowsnest Pass Alberta’s best kept secret home of a little piece of paradise and the non-resident speed trap”.   
4. He speaks to Peter’s comments on the Municipal Inspection, still does not get it 2500 taxpayers are not happy, with the exception of the hundreds upon hundreds that were bullied and intimidated to sign.
5. He addresses the “bureaucratic monster” has no substance. So it’s just a figment of everybody’s imagination at this point in time we really don’t have a CAO, Director of Finance and Corporate services, Director of Planning Engineering and Public Works, Director of Community Services and Protective Services, Manager of public works, Fire chief, Deputy Fire Chief, plus advertising for a Manager of Corporate Services. This is not a “bureaucratic monster” but then has councilor Mitchell very proudly stated a year ago, “The public should keep in mind that we now only have three Directors when we used to have four”.
6. Tax increases no increase in 2011 and only 2.5% in 2012, yes Councilor Gallant puts all the blame for tax increases on the Provincial government and the seniors. Check out the mill rate bylaws in 2010 the Municipality collected $6,432,821 from the municipal taxpayers in that year. 2011 with no increase the municipality collected $123,000 more in general taxation than the previous year (0% increase maybe it was all those new houses going up, or our increased home values). In 2012 with just a 2.5% increase the municipality collected another $265,000 in additional general taxation (2.5% increase once again maybe it was all those new houses going up, or our increased home values). Lots of new homes and greatly increased property values I’m sure most home owners that are deciding to sell are doing well. Then lets not forget the additional tax increase (more commonly known as the Franchise Fee). Some will even attempt to argue that this is not a tax, 2010 it sat at $295,000 increased to $570,000 in 2012 and would have gone to $907,000 in 2013 had it not been for the uproar from the public. Instead, it will only jump to $682,000 next year being Christmas I guess we should be thankful that this little tax only jumped 231% in three years instead of the proposed 308%.
7. Thinking about the Tax increases and the Franchise Fees I guess us Taxpayers should be thankful again, that the municipality as decided over the last two years to take less money out of our left pocket and more out of our right pocket.
8. And now I will present the opportunity for anybody to comment on my points or to list for us all the good things that have been achieved.
9. Being the Christmas season every time I drive by the Blairmore shop I get to say hoe, hoe hoe.       

Change in the Crowsnest Pass

I sat on council for six years during that time I learnt that this town has a lot of problems, declining and ageing population, lack of industry and development, duplication of services and facilities that most taxpayers can not afford to support.

Do we need change? Absolutely, change that involves attracting people here, bringing development and industry, looking at where our community could be ran more efficiently. Knowing all of these issues our local government needs to be ran as if it’s on a tight budget, because it should be.

Let’s talk about the change we can not and do not want, over spending the municipality will next year in the final year of this council’s term, take in $1.4 million more dollars out of  the taxpayers pockets than it did in 2010 that’s $400 per home.

They are building an empire that we can not afford, look at the number of staff in the municipal office do we really need more administration.

Municipal peace officers do we want two peace officers? Was that a good change? they wrote 2 bylaw tickets in the month of September, they are being looked at has a cash cow not a tool to clean up our community.

Once again we have consultants in our community talking about “branding” what was so wrong with “Mountain Freedom”? Thunder in the Valley brought this community way more attention than any new brand will. We all know there were problems go talk to the RCMP get the stats for the number of arrests over the last five years, we saw a tremendous decline the event was being ran better every year.

Fire Departments, we spent $300,000 in 2010 operating the Fire Departments how many full time Firemen are we going to get for that figure? Could Fire departments be ran better? Of course every branch of government could be run better, we have to find ways to operate our community on the present dollars not more.

It’s really hard to convince taxpayers of this when you see almost $300,000 spent on a piece of equipment that spends 98% of it’s time sitting in the back of the Blairmore Shop, all the new pickups running around and consultant after consultant.

The termination of a municipal employee should that have happened? We do not know all the details.

Personally, I have no problem terminating an employee with just cause, but there must be a fair process, if you believe you have grounds to terminate an employee you suspend them. You do a complete investigation then you let them go (it’s called due process) you don’t terminate them. Then seek the justification by releasing a press release every second day with a new revelation.

This situation with better communication and due process would have been handled so much better.

Back to the start do we need change? We all know the answer, of course, but I am having a tough time thinking of a good, positive change in the last two years. We need change that involves the people of the Crowsnest Pass.

And for those that disagree with me step up to the plate and point out the positive changes for us all to read.  

Another can of worms has been opened.

Just posted the following comments on John Prince's blog

The following is from the CUPE 812 collective agreement.
4.01 The Employer recognizes the Union as the sole bargaining agency for all Employees.
At the council meeting on Tuesday administration stated that the municipality has 100 non-union "employees". When asked to clarify who? they stated Firemen, Rescue, Swimming pool, Ski hill, and Library.
If and I do not use that word lightly, I was CUPE I would be looking at those "employees".
For years they were defined as either volunteers, or employees of a society to avoid the costs of them being "municipal employees". Cupe rates probably start at $25 per hour and higher none of these "employees" were making close to that rate.
This action could lead to some more very serious ramifications.
How the hell are the taxpayers going to be to afford to pay for all these new found "employees"?
 

Municipal Press Release Oct 5, 2012 Fire Men Situation

Crowsnest Pass Ratepayers Association

Open Letter to Mayor and Council


The Municipal Government Act states that under general duties of councilors:

(a) to consider the welfare and interests of the municipality as a whole and to bring to council’s attention anything that would promote the welfare or interests of the municipality.

This could be interpreted as if only the councilor considers that which would promote the welfare or interests of the municipality and the taxpayer’s input would be meaningless.

There are two types of government, the irresponsible and the responsible. We are currently being led by a group using the irresponsible method. Anyone and I do mean anyone can balance a budget by increasing fees, utilities, licenses, electrical, etc. etc. and rewriting the bylaws which when violated carry a large fine the first offense beginning at $250. Tally up the total increased revenue and add 2.5% to the property tax and voila you have a balanced budget even one that would show a surplus. Such genius!

The second type of governing the responsible method takes some doing. It is a method using common sense, restraint, cutting spending and if needs be to obtain a balanced budget add a minimal amount to the property tax. This method shows a governing body to be accountable and fiscally responsible to the people it represents, the taxpayer.

By increasing everything from soup to nuts, have you considered the burden you are placing upon the seniors of this community? What do we do, email Stephen Harper or Flaherty and tell them that our municipality is nickel and diming us to the extent that we might have to cut back on our groceries, or perhaps cut out one of our prescriptions because our rates went up and we are over budget? I’m sure that they just might consider a $1.50 raise on our pension.

Let’s face the truth of the matter. You have hired a group of strangers (experts) to come to our community and force upon us their ideas and methods in order to teach us how we should live in our own domain. We've been doing pretty well up until now, or so we thought so, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Many people I have spoken with have stated that this isn't Calgary and we do not have to deal with the noise, pace and congestion which in order to curb problems arising from this are forced to pass bylaws. This is not the case here, and if my sidewalk isn't cleared of snow, then it’s because I cleared it and the snowplow came along and covered it up. It seems that since Kevin Robbins and Donna Tona have been on board we have a new bylaw to contend almost every week, no ifs and or buts, it’s a done deal and we have to live with it.

Also, why are you doing everything that covers a period of three years? Has the thought crossed your mind that you won’t be in office then? This council and mayor are suffering from the BIG FROG LITTLE PUDDLE SYNDROME. Get over it and start doing the job you were elected to do instead of harassing your citizens and preying on us. If this is what you consider having our best interests at heart then you certainly have a misconstrued idea as to what good governing is all about. Start being responsible, and show some Government Transparency and we will feel that maybe we are not just cash cows living here for the hell of it.

Marilyn Milley - (on behalf of the Ratepayers Association)

Take a look at the real results of this last weekend and do something

At the following address is a blog created by a fellow named Mike Gerrie.
I want everyboby to look at these picture and tell me what a success the weekend was.

Also I look forward very much to hearing more about his discussion with Councilor Gallant.


http://nothunder.blogspot.ca/


I would also encourage everybody to contact our CAO at cao@crowsnestpass.com  to demand that the Municipality immediatly provide to the public the financial results for this weekend.