Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "FOLLOW THE MONEY":
19:47Well, for me the "them" are people that want pool or arena services. Why should I pay for that infrastructure? I don't use it.
Furthermore, I don't go to any parks or playgrounds either. I don't think that I should pay for that. Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 20 March 2015 at 08:39
Furthermore, I don't go to any parks or playgrounds either. I don't think that I should pay for that. Posted by Anonymous to Our Town and Its Business at 20 March 2015 at 08:39
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Now we have something we can talk about.
You have not expressed opposition to parks and playgrounds previously. We could have responded to your concern.
Your share of costs for parks and playgrounds are nil.
They are built and paid for by those who build homes and the cost is passed on to new home buyers.
Ninety per cent of cost of pools and arenas and other leisure facilities are paid for by development levies. Also passed on to new home buyers. You pay ten per cent.
User fees for facilities are established. Properly calculated,
there should be no cost or minimal cost passed on to taxpayers.
Programs and events offered by the town produce revenue for the town. It's the only department that does.
Thereby hangs the crux of the problem with the Culture Centre.
The last renovation to the Church Street School used $2.3
million of hydro reserve money. Nine years of interest on that money has been forfeit. No return on investment. No rent paid. No maintenance cost covered.
In a complete and total lack of business acumen, $377,000. tax dollars are handed over annually to a self-appointed board that meets behind closed doors. (in secret) to decide spending as they see fit.
Until now the Mayor and Councillor Abel has seen fit to collude with an arrangement that in no way serves the public interest by attending closed board meetings. For Ontario elected officials ,that practice is verbotem.
The board collects fees and along with a host of other outfits
Including the town, they dun local business ,individuals and organizations for sponsorships and donations to mitigate cost of their operation.
They claim thousands of hours of unpaid labour.
Unlike other town leisure facilities they close the joint on statutory holidays.
The original objective for a management board was self-sufficiency. To ensure the facility would not be a burden to the taxpayer. Exactly the opposite has transpired.
This year, in addition to the massive tax burden (3 points in the tax rate) the town will fund additional cost of a curator. probably at no less cost than $100,000. added to nigh on a $million for Purchase of Culture.
The more it's talked about ,the better understood, greater resentment grows against elected representatives who have knowingly perpetrated the betrayal.
The town employs highly paid professionals to properly and efficiently manage business affairs.
That's not happening.
On multiple fronts, we are not getting what we pay for.
Ev
I suspect some of our staff employees have tried to right thing along the way. But there are a few elected reps who set their minds in one direction and refuse to change. The clear bags fiasco was a perfect example of bone-headed stubbornness
ReplyDeleteI have expressed opposition... you choose to not publish it.
ReplyDeleteMy share of parks and playgrounds is not nil, I pay taxes to maintain them.
While I agree that DCs pay to build a facility, my taxes pay to keep the lights on, the water warm, the ice cold, the staff, the maintenance and the renovations.
I would suggest that fees do not cover the expenses to run a facility.
@ 11:08
ReplyDeleteAddress your complaint to the mayor. He is touting a new sports facility. There are a lot of votes in sports.
12:36
ReplyDeleteI once heard the Mayor say he wanted a curling facility too. When there is a perfectly good one in Newmarket and Richmond Hill.