Round two of the public input sessions for the proposed 2010 municipal budget was a lively affair at Woodford Community Centre on Tuesday, that saw members of council and senior staff grilled on everything from debt and deficits to roads and policing.
Meaford Treasurer David Kennedy presented the proposed budget to roughly 25 residents who were clearly concerned about not only the current budget, but the future of the municipality.
The proposed budget came under fire for the recently incorporated plan to pay off the accumulated deficits by pulling funds out of working capital and borrowing more than $1 million from already depleted municipal reserves.
Kennedy defended the plan, and explained that the municipality was left with little choice after complaints from residents to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs caused the Province to insist that the municipality accelerate it's plan to tackle the $3 million deficit from previous years.
Stressing that though money would be borrowed in order to rid the municipality of the deficit that has been hanging over the town for the last two years, the five year plan established during the 2009 budget deliberations would remain in place and the allocation of funds would shift from paying down the deficit to paying down debt.
Other hot button topics included the poor state of many of the rural roads, and concern that not enough has been done by the municipality to find ways to cut costs in the operation and management of the town.
Residents were not the only people in the room with concerns about the budget.
Councillor Gerald Shortt who has indicated that he is considering running for Mayor in the upcoming municipal election told the audience that he will not support the budget.
“I will not support an increase of more than $1 million in taxation,” said Shortt.
Shortt would also like to see the municipality move toward a single tax rate for the entire municipality. Currently there are three area ratings for each of the Sydenham, St. Vincent, and Meaford wards, and Shortt says that this creates an inequality that sees urban Meaford paying more than their fair share of taxes.
Treasurer Kennedy has previously informed council that though it would be wise to have a single rate, a phase in period would be required as an immediate change would see urban Meaford property taxes decrease by roughly 5.5 percent while Sydenham and St. Vincent would see their taxes increase by roughly 12 percent. That increase would translate into more than $400 being added to the tax bill for the average home in those areas.
“The longer you leave it, the more unfair it will be,” maintains Shortt.
Councillor Jim McPherson appeared to be positioning himself for a run at the Mayor's seat as well after he rose to run through a laundry list of concerns that he has with the state of affairs in the municipality.
“When I first brought it to council's attention that we were going to be running deficits, I was basically told that I didn't know what I was talking about,” began McPherson who then expressed that in his view there needs to be serious reductions in services and staff in order to get the municipal finances back on track.
“I have difficulty accepting a 14 percent tax increase year after year,” said McPherson.
McPherson also raised the current litigation surrounding Georgian Beach.
“The Georgian Beach issue is quite frankly a farce,” offered McPherson. He said that the municipality has already spent more than $400,000 on the case “for a footpath.”
“I wouldn't run the municipality this way,” McPherson told the audience.
“Is that an election speech councillor?” a resident called out from the back of the room.
“It is the beginning of one,” responded McPherson.
The input provided by the public at the Monday and Tuesday meetings will be considered at yet another budget meeting set to take place Wednesday at 5 pm at the Meaford Council Chamber.
Council has said that they hope to have a final budget ready to vote on for the April 12 meeting of council.
