Tim the Enchanter has left a new comment on your post "Don't Call Me for The Dinner":
Charitable giving is an entirely subjective personal decision.
Each of us must decide to when and if to make a donation.
A few Police Dinner tickets aren't a budget buster but they represent the lack of understanding and respect for the taxpayer and taxpayer funds that so often typifies wasteful municipal spending.
The money I send to the Town is still my money - it doesn't now belong to the Town.
Should the taxpayers pay for charity dinner tickets?
No.
Because it puts the Town in the position of determining what defines a "worthy" cause.
In other words - the favour business.
This council is certainly an improvement over the previous but they need to get out of the favour business.
Spending $9K to get a cell tower legal opinion on top of our own solicitor's opinion was a favour.
The Petch House spending was a favour.
The proposed Heritage District is a favour that has already cost about $70K for a study.
The proposed Heritage Park is a favour that could potentially cost millions.
The clear garbage bag initiative is a $30K favour.
They are favours because for the most part they are nothing more than financial grease for special interest squeaky wheels, that offer nothing other than subjective grandiose musings of "just think how wonderful it will be" as a justification.
Fiscal responsibility be damned.
The taxpayers deserve better than "we've got the money we may as well spend it".
To put it another way.
Show me a town that can afford to fund these favours and I'll show you a town that's collecting too much tax.
Posted by Tim the Enchanter to Our Town and Its Business at 8 May 2014 10:36
Thursday, 8 May 2014
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13 comments:
Unfortunately many candidates for Council will talk about nothing but favours, not just those listed but also others that they would like to see in the future.
As a part of the Oath of Office wording should be incorporated that would prohibit favours, and this should be vigorously enforced.
I think everything got off the rails with a comment from the mayor stated that council would " welcome " ideas about how to spend the formerly reserved Hydro funds. Since then every squeaky wheel gets greased while genuine development plans get bogged down with studies and challenges.
Getting out of the favour business is a lot harder than getting in.
This council didn't start it but they've done precious little to end it.
The Cultural Centre was an inherited favour that should have been deep-sixed by this council but they couldn't bring themselves to do it.
If the CC was determined to be integral to the Town's cultural life then the appropriate department (Parks?) should have been directed to hire the necessary staff and at least it would have been under proper oversight.
Once the Favour mentality takes over the consulting sharks start circling waiting for feeding time because you can't grant a favour until you make a half-hearted attempt to justify it with - wait for it! - a STUDY!
It's so bad now that a nine member council and a much-heralded staff can't for the life of themselves, figure out how to tell 50,000 residents that as of a certain date they need to use clear garbage bags instead of green ones.
A consultant is needed to "ensure a successful launch".
$30K + $15K more for communication.
Really?
You couldn't slip a note in my tax bill?
You couldn't pay a couple of bucks to send a note to retailers through the chamber of commerce?
Ad in the Auroran?
I get that some folks are scared of cell towers.
It stands to reason that someone complained about the Bathurst tower.
That's OK.
It's the town's responsibility to listen to complaints.
So you listen.
Then you point out that the tower isn't in Aurora.
Then you listen some more and you say let's ask the lawyer.
The lawyer - that we pay for - does his job and confirms there's nothing you can do.
Sorry folks.
Except when you're in the Favour business you spend $9K to get another legal opinion which confirms exactly what the Town lawyer said.
Giving some people what they want instead of what the Town needs is not good governance.
!4:49
You obviously have plenty of good material. So
I will just add 2 cents worth
The clear garbage bags initiative was shelved for further study. Not that it was going to be enforced in the first place. Every other municipality I have checked has a garbage bag limit. Aurora must have missed that biggie. [ If you abuse the system, you pay a few bucks ] We piss away dollars while showing no sense.
Tim...get to registering as a candidate please.
19:12, he'd have to use his real name. You'd have no idea who he is.
@14:19
Yes, I read the article in the Auroran.
The program has been delayed not ditched.
Arguing the merits of the clear bag program is the job of council.
No problem.
At the moment some councillors aren't convinced.
But if and when council is convinced the idea is a clear winner for Aurora why would they need to spend upwards of $45K to convince us?
“From our consultant that has done this in other municipalities, it doesn’t seem to matter to [retailers] one way or another,” says Mr. Simanovskis. “All they
need is enough lead time to change out the inventory.
What [the consultant] will actually do is once we have the green light, they will do a promotion to encourage people to not buy black bags. That is the lead time we are missing right now.
“With that lead time, we can get more engagement with the community.”
So whose idea was clear bags anyway? Council or the consultant?
As an aside, it is my understanding that when Markham went to clear bags they eliminated the bag limit rule.
22:35
And what does that have to do with the price of beans ? Do you not think residents can suss out a good candidate ?
Hey buddy!
Can ya' do me ANOTHER favour?
RE: Aurora Museum
From the Auroran
"Details released this Tuesday, however, provided clearer information. According to numbers released by Mr. Downey, CAM scored a 57.7% on the technical side of things, and a fee of $556,500 over five years. The AHS came in at 51.25% on the technical score, but proposed a five-year fee of $1,248,250."
"Councillors wanted details on just what each proponent envisioned for a museum, as well as the costs entailed with each plan. These details, however, could not be made public under provisions in the existing RFP."
You're kidding, right?
So council is discussing and potentially voting on proposals to spend at least $500K, possible over $1M, and they can't tell us about it?
And for what?
The much-needed museum silly!
Much-needed or just much-promised?
Like the youth centre.
No quantitative input,no empirical data - just a vague sense of "we need it" or "trust us - it'll be great".
The Culture Club got their favour at the expense of the Museum crowd so now we're making it up to them?
Why? - just to be fair?
And where does the money come from?
Next year's tax increase or the Hydro Fund?
What building will be used?
Is that included in the quote or will we have to buy that as well?
And will next term's council have to waste time trying to re-work loopholes in a deal signed by this council?
One foolish cash-burning idea after another.
Must be an election year.
I love museums but do we need these expensive proposals?
Apparently we have stored artifacts.
I keep hearing there are volunteers.
We have a re-built Petch House that no one has any idea what to do with.
How about a Starter Museum?
How much would that cost?
Certainly not $100K to $200K per year.
Who knows, maybe they do a great job engaging a wider spectrum of residents with events and fundraisers.
Maybe after a while the community rallies around and starts wondering out loud if it isn't time that council did something about getting our successful little museum a bigger home.
Or maybe the museum project dissolves into a muddy pool of infighting and apathy.
Not the desired outcome to be sure but not a financial hit for taxpayers either.
A potential candidate will be one that does not pepper his/her speech with " fear-mongering ", " vision " and assorted divisive weasel words.
6:03
Markham has a price on the # of yard waste bags you can put out - over the limit is $2.00 per bag. I have neighbours who truck stuff from their cottages so they don't have to go to the dump.
Aurora has entirely too many well-nourished grass-hoppers. The ants are tired and broke.
8:50
Ideas for Petch were due last week. We still do not even know if there were any despite councillors offering suggestions earlier on. Evelyn had a good one & there were suggestions from Cllrs Abel & Humfryes [ music & heritage ]. Never pursued.
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