Dear Editor:
RE: ‘Pro-development council’, Dec. 17.
Ken Cowling has raised some valid concerns and Erin taxpayers should be wary of the town’s aggressive movements on this issue.
I too have reached out to the mayor and town council too to question them on this proposed facility.
I would note a very concerning comment made by the mayor in his letter to the editor stating that they need to take “measured risks.” I’m sure that the people who voted for this mayor and council did not expect them to take risks of any kind with their tax dollars. This is irresponsible.
They use the argument that this will contribute to the tax base and reduce taxes. When has anyone seen their taxes go down? Maybe our town can do a better job of managing the town’s finances by not paying out exorbitant severance packages, as an example. Most of us who live in this area are here because of the small-town feel and are not necessarily interested in growth if it ends up looking like any other new development in this province. I certainly am not interested in cookie cutter, neighbour-kissing homes either.
If I was purchasing a home, I would ensure that all financing was in place before I made that purchase. The town has no commitments from developers and no commitment from the provincial or federal government on funding. They have stated to me that they have had encouraging discussions with other levels of government only. As Cowling stated, it will be unlikely that funding will be forthcoming considering the debt levels of all governments during these times. Why wouldn’t you ensure that funding is in place before moving ahead?
When has anyone seen a major infrastructure project come in on or below budget? The urban residents already pay one of the highest water rates in this province, and mark my words, this will not be any different when and if this facility is built and you also pay unknown costs for hook-up.
The mayor has repeatedly said that anyone who is not hooked up to this facility will not pay any costs for it. Only the “end users.” This is false because we have already paid a portion of the related costs in the endless environmental studies that have been done.
They are now paying for design costs for this facility and pursuing land acquisition and when I questioned the mayor and town council on how these costs are going to be allocated, I did not get a straight answer. How will they be transparent on the accounting of these costs?
The town needs to get their ducks in a row before assuming any debt to build this facility.
Stephen Charbonneau,
Hillsburgh