Lazy Bones Lyin' In The SunHow Do You Expect To Get A Day's Work Done

I went out on  the  deck yesterday and sat down. Didn't come back in for the rest of the day.

I've written  posts on  days that none have appeared . I left them in the  draft folder.

Some  issues are just too tedious and complicated and only make sense if one is actively involved in town business.Yet they are in the front of my mind and I need to write them.

I can tell from  numbers when people are losing interest  and that is not my intention in writing this blog.

I received an e-mail from  a resort area about  a similar discussion  to the one we are having  about the methodology of calculating water rates.Their debate is about garbage tags

The objective is for the  system  to become self-sustaining. That is,  cost of waste management   to be covered by user fees in the form of bag tags. Currently the tax base is  partially subsidising the tag fee.

A  recommendation was made this year to increase fees to reduce the subsidy. The question was raised about  garbage being  collected from  beaches and other municipal facilities.  The town's  share  was eventually determined  to be  about 5% of the total.

A Councillor  put forward the position  the town is a user like all others and should pay the going rate  for their contribution to land fill. It should be a line item in the town budget

Home and business operators in the community should not  pay an inflated rate to cover garbage collected from municipal facilities..

The town's Council accepted the logic and rates for 2012 will be adjusted accordingly. 

Cheez... .I 've been making that argument in Aurora for two years. Despite  almost  twenty-three  per cent increase in  water rates, I've run into a brick wall.  Literally.

Go figger.. 

I can't think of a better time to examine how we calculate rates and seek  ways to minimise increases imposed by the region.

I'm glad to say, it begins to look like the new council is understanding the logic and things will change in 2012.

Better later than never I suppose.