By Pepper Parr
November 17th, 2023
BURLINGTON, ON
There are a total of 54 Motions from members of Council for changes they would like to see made on the Mayor’s Budget.
They are listed in the document below. The type is rather small – run your cursor over the image to enlarge it.
There is an Appendix that provides detail on the impact each of these Motions would have on the budget – they will be published later in the day.
For a moment i had hope. Look at all the savings they could find if they really wanted to. I was most impressed with Kelvin’s recommendation to reduce the Dedicated Infrastructure Renewal Levy. In 2023 1.60% of the 7.52% was for this. Council had approved accelarated funding in 2021. This year they reassesed the citys assests, so infrastructure from 5.3 to 6.3 B. They did so stating that bc construction costs have increased as well as inflation, costs to replace assets will be higher & therefore we should increase funding further. But this is an accounting entry. Neither inflation nor interest rates will remain elevated. Further part of the way needs for this fund are calculated is future services that the assets will provide specifically assets like Skyway. Somewhat like accruing for future costs you havent incurred. Current taxpayers ought not to be strangled with potential costs up to 2040 that dont yet even exist. Lastly the assets are only required to be reassessed every 5 years. As it was just done last year, its a premature move. They could wait until next year and reasses. Will they be rebating the 0.97%? I somehow doubt it. By the asset plans own statements, funding to the program must take into account the taxpayers willingness for risk and ability to pay. Yet city staff chose to ignore this fact when preparing this budget. Instead it later offered ways to further increase funding to the program and made suggestions for further increases over the next few years. The financial impact to the taxpayer was never considered for DEOO or for accelerating funding to the DIR. The amount of funding to infrastructure was significant and ample with last years increase. In 2021 78% of the citys infrastructure. We have to assume that has improved further. Adding this further tax this year under the guise of interest and inflation while a reasoned argument, is an excuse given neither will stay elevated and discussions are already underway on how to prevent a crash in the housing market from mortgage instability in 2024 & 2025. Increasing the replacent value of the assets (infrastructure) was an accounting entry. It can easily be undone with the stroke of a pen. I applaud Kelvin making the suggestion they do so. But that sense of hope that council might do the right thing and not slaughter taxpayers was short lived seeing all the ways they could spend that new found money and specifically as per Nisan & Sharman in particular so they could maintain the tax rate where they put it at 4.99%. Hundreds wont be able to stay in their homes. Maybe more. There are 40000 people 65+ in this city, many on fixed incomes that wont be able to withstand another tax increase oof this magnitude. I am ashamed to live in this city that is run by a Mayor and Council that cares so little about its citizens. All of them
This should be interesting. Just ordered transcripts to make our case against Paul Sharman and the Mayor not able to remember it was a public meeting and not Committee we delegated in front of.less than 14 hrs before Council. Further, Paul Sharman was on his high horse that Anne’s memory of the motion, which was how it was set out in the Addendum was incorrect. Apologies are due from 2 councllors and a Mayor and 4 councillors who allowed such behaviour. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH,
For those other than us who know about the issues of MMW, PS and RP (?) at Nov. 14 Council meeting that one must agree are capacity related,; let us know with a comment when u believe the first domino will drop and who will give it the shove that sees this House of Cards fall.
That would be Lydia, Eric and the Marsdens.
Wendy is also a member of this informal coalition of domino pushers.
Well said Eric. We can think of several more.
Edited
Not in my opinion.