Dear Editor,
It appears as though relying on council to represent its constituents’ best interests is an exercise in futility. Tax increase of 2.9% on top of ever increasing property assessment values gets council to their near 18% increase in revenue to run our township. Ranking near the top in southwestern Ontario for tax rate, while delivering very limited services must make sense to our elected officials, but I struggle to understand it. Our elected officials are to run the municipality like a business, yet all the focus, as far as I can tell, is on the increase of revenue and not on cost control or reduction. But I see now that we the people are to blame for our dissatisfaction with the results of the budgeting process. It’s not enough that we elect council to represent our best interest, but if we don’t speak up for each decision, we can’t trust our elected representatives to make the right decisions. I urge the mayor to remember his comments during his election campaign “We have to figure out a way that we can have sustainable growth that we can afford,” Vol 47 Issue 41 – October 10th, 2014
Although it is too late now for this year’s budget, I call on the people of Mapleton to email your mayor at ndriscoll@mapleton.ca your opinions on the results, remembering that we can expect 5% increases for the next 10 years, as reported on January 8th, 2016 “An asset management plan prepared in 2014 projected the township should plan for a 5.8% levy increase every year for the next 10 years and 3.4% per year after that to generate enough funds to eliminate the municipality’s “infrastructure deficit.”” Your readers are also welcome to contact me at mminogue22@yahoo.ca
Mike Minogue
Mike Minogue, P. Eng, MBA