Offsite Orientation

We had useful discussion at the off-site orientation held yesterday. I think the location was not far enough from home, not long enough and material presented from the perspective of a Councillor's role and authority was not how I would have planned it.

Knowledge will be acquired as we go forward but it will be slower and harder. A crash course on limits and restraints is always better received and more easily accepted from an outside,impartial expert.

We heard from staff how a budget is constructed.

I had something to say on just about everything. But I'm conscious that mine is a personal political perspective. Every Councillor has to develop their own. An off-site orientation would normally provide some of the tools.

From the cold hard analytical level of finance, it may make sense to levy taxes in 2011 to create reserve funds for replacement of buildings in 2051.

I think the idea is prepostorous.

The Community Centre on Aurora Heights is an example.

The theory is when a facility is completed, depreciation sets in immediately. For planning purposes presented ,estimated life span of a building is forty years.

The community centre is forty-three years old. We paid for it by debenture debt.The same way we buy a house. We had no development charges in those days. The building still stands. Properly maintained,I expect it will for another forty-three years.It was built stronger than Church Street School and that building is still there, more than a hundred years after completion.

Then there's the Illustrious Petch House.

I feel no inclination to pay taxes to-day so that residents forty years from now, can have the funds to build a new community centre at no cost to themselves. Courtesy of people who, by that time, may not live here or anywhere else for that matter.

History of the Hydro Reserve fund was provided. Estimated balance in 2010 is $32.2million.

We used $2.535million for renovation of Church Street School.

The fund has been there five years. Council passed a resolution to make it difficult to spend in dribs and drabs with nothing to show.

That can be changed but I wouldn't vote to change it, unless it was to be used for an important project. We disposed of a substantial asset.We should replace it with a substantial asset. Whatever that might be.

In the meantime,we use the interest for a variety of projects.

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Toronto families can swim and skate free in city facilities.

I would like to be able to provide that.I really mind that families who can't afford to swim or skate have to subsidise families who can afford it.

Statistics provided at the orientation,showed the average family expenditure in Aurora is $124,208.

I find that incredible.But I've always had trouble understanding how people are able to mortgage a $300.K. house and pay what it costs for day care and commuting and all the rest.

We're doing a lot of crystal ball gazing at the provincial and municipal level. We probably spend millions, maybe billions on forecasting all kinds airy-fairy stuff.

I wonder of anybody forecast that Ontario would become a have-not province ten or even five years ago.