Dear Editor,
Mayor Dawe uses some of the information from MoneySense magazine to paint a rosy picture of Aurora's property taxes. The use of averages, without deeper examination can give an inaccurate picture. Here are some other Aurora measures gleaned from MoneySense.
a) Aurora is rated # 24 across Canada.
b) Average income, $133,000 - 6th highest in Canada.
c) Average home value, $560,000.
d) Net household worth, $833,000.
e) Average discretionary income, $63,600.
These numbers may help individual citizens decide whether our local taxes are appropriate and affordble.
Sincerely,
Robert Cook
***********
Some of these figures are used by the treasurer when introducing increased spending.
High average income and high average post-secondary education are apparently justification for steady increases in taxation.
The service level consultant study submitted to Council in December noted high cost of service reflected high level and high quality of service.
It's a measure of how things have changed over the years.
Spending used to be measured against the ability of those least able to pay.
All the airy -fairy schemes that permeated this term of office are a reflection of Council's
assumption of wealth and disposable income in the community.
The high salaries paid to the town's top administrators don't contribute to the statistics.
They do not live in our town.
Posts
18 comments:
I did hear that justification for the higher service charges but it simply is not true. We are not being given any better services than comparable towns. In fact, it appears to me that our basic services have been handled badly. It has been an extreme winter but the past year has seen an increase in road problems and maintenance difficulties.
And we are not even doing any construction in town.
It isn't just the insistence on increasing taxes that has caused unease. If the town is doing as well as is being claimed, there should be no need for debt-financing of projects while taxes escalate.
This council only has months left in office, They should stop tying the hands of Councils that will follow - and the hands of future tax-payers.
The higher fees are not going unnoticed. There are some Auorans heading down to the new rec facility in Richmond Hill. Fees for some programs are cheaper when paying for a non-resident registration than paying for resident fees in Aurora!
Ducks overhead. Spring must be here.
Councillor Thompson:
" We have to look at the budget with the perspective that everything in there is an investment in the future of Aurora so that future generations and our own children will be able to live here........yadda, yadda..."
Maybe he should talk to young families who are selling up & moving north or south..
Face it. Aurora was not even able to get through the ice storm without serious help from other areas. We are over-staffed, under-serviced and over-taxed.
That meaningless MoneySense magazine stat isn't the only vehicle Mayor Dawe is using to paint a rosy picture of Aurora's property taxes. Have you seen the YouTube video that supposedly shows us ignorant Aurorans how property taxes support municipal programs and services?
Staff says it was his idea. Cost - $2,500.
"...us (sic) ignorant Aurorans..."
Speak for yourself.
People that disagree with a particular argument will discount the "evidence" as a first response (I cite Mr. Watt's blanket dismissal of Money Sense).
Here are the top 10....
10. Vancouver, B.C.
Average household net worth: $742,000
Average household income: $80,048
Average house price: $942,329
9. Markham, Ont.
Average household net worth: $810,000
Average household income: $112,387
Average house price: $648,288
8: Aurora, Ont.
Average household net worth: $833,000
Average household income: $133,429
Average house price: $576,304
7. Richmond Hill, Ont.
Average household net worth: $841,000
Average household income: $108,310
Average house price: $736,515
6. Caledon, Ont.
Average household net worth: $842,000
Average household income: $126,498
Average house price: $599,054
5. Canmore, Alta.
Average household net worth: $915,000
Average household income: $108,832
Average house price: $710,673
4. Vaughan, Ont.
Average household net worth: $933,000
Average household income: $121,035
Average house price: $720,104
3. Oakville, Ont.
Average household net worth: $948,000
Average household income: $145,694
Average house price: $629,902
2. North Vancouver, B.C.
Average household net worth: $1.1M
Average household income: $118,223
Average house price: $910,013
1. West Vancouver, B.C.
Average household net worth: $2.7M
Average household income: $180,205
Average house price: $1.6M
Judge the value of the list on it's own merits
7:48- So you’re saying that…By determining average income, net worth and house prices…you can justify governments spending or future spending our money? Ahh…That’s how we got into the 2008 disaster, and an example of something a little closer to home…That’s how the Region has a $2.4+ Billion debt, with a recent warning of possible downgrade of their credit.
9:29
I am not saying anythign other than provide the data. You can use whatever gauge you like to justify taxes.
I think that municipalities work on a supply and demand principle. The supply is after income tax dollars from the residents and the demand is for programs and services from the Town or City. Someone has to pay the freight.
12:28
Even when the " demand " is manufactured and the groups are incapable of sustaining themselves ?
It’s the demand of services that government has twisted and snaked their way into our wallets. Even with the downloading of services that the Municipalities and Regions were forced to provide from our provincial friends, we've added to these money sucking programs. Aurora can barely maintain its existing programs and services yet because of this type of data…it believes that residents can supply more $ to their pet projects… with of course their favorite justification line of “In order for growth” or “staff report indicate” and my personal favorite “to better our quality of life” BS.
7:48
Christopher just blew you away
@15:16
Please explain about demand being manufactured.
18:56
Christopher did not blow anybody away. Why didn't you post a comment on his site? Oh, because you would have to remove your mask!
All he did was steal from his past troll posts and rehash them.
Again, I have not presented anything but some data. I have not tried to explain it or make a conclusion. That is what you all seem to be good at, so I will let you do that.
07:43- You didn't “just present data”!...You commented on how people “discount” the evidence. You just don’t like when people “discount” your opinion of the evidence.
12:36
I said people (one in particular) discounts the data because he disagrees with the way it is used.
I have not tried to use the data to explain or disprove anything.
For those that wanted to know WTF he was talking about, I presented the data.
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