Constituents push back against 2023 city budget
During the municipal election campaign last October, a number of councillors promised evening meetings, hoping to increase citizen participation.
On Feb. 2, the first of these evening meetings was held, and despite poor weather that forced four of the eight councillors to join in from home via video conference, a number of city residents braved bad weather to make their voices heard about the proposed 2023 budget.
Bill Denby, former mayoral candidate and president of the Kawartha Lakes Taxpayer Association, threatened legal action against the city if they raise taxes.
“I don’t want you to take what I say personally,” Denby said. “It is a message from our members. The Municipal Act states that tax increases cannot be inflicted on a municipality that is under duress. In the real world where people go to work and pay their taxes, they cannot afford any more taxes at the municipal, provincial or federal level. We have made that very clear in our communications with you.”
“We have invited you out to a number of our meetings,” Denby continued, “to meet with our members and you didn’t show up. We aren’t good enough for you to meet? We are taxpayers, too. If you pass the 2023 budget as proposed you will find yourself in court very fast.”
Denby was followed by Doug Shaw, the president of the Coalition Against Unfair Water Billing. Shaw claims to represent a number of Kawartha Lakes residents who have opposed hooking up to city water and sewers when available and opposes paying a yearly fee of $300 for the right to hook up to municipal water and wastewater if and when their well or septic fails.
“There are many of our members who are being charged for a service that is not rendered,” Shaw said. “We have fought this thing for the last three years. We have asked, pleaded and have gone to council multiple times to ask for these charges to be dropped. We have been nice. We have been very patient. I am asking again that you drop these municipal charges.”
“We have many aged members,” Shaw added. “People have come to their homes and told them they are going to foreclose on their homes (for refusing to pay this water/wastewater bill).This is illegal. This is a fraudulent act. I have asked the RCMP what they think. I have asked the OPP what they think. Both told me the same thing. These actions are wide open to investigations. My lawyer will do that investigation and if we have to we will charge the city. It is against the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to charge for services not rendered. I have three adequate wells on my property and I will not be hooking up to water or sewer.”
Angel Godsoe, a local small business person, was next to question the 2023 budget with its tax increase.
“We all know that the cost of living has increased everywhere,” she said. “Groceries, gas and building supplies are just a few examples of everyday essentials that have skyrocketed and put all our budgets out of whack.”
Personally,” Godsoe said, “I renewed my mortgage last month and am paying $600 a month more than I was before due to rising interest rates. Unfortunately, my income has not increased accordingly. As a small business owner and a mom with four kids at home I see how these rising costs are crippling.”
Godsoe said while a property tax increase of less than $200 a year will not make or break my business her household, she wants to know how it will be spent. “None of us want to see a decrease in our services. Show me how our money is being spent and how services are being delivered per capita to each area of the city.”
Finally, a written submission was received from former mayoral candidate Peter Weygang that expressed concern about the amount the city is spending on staffing.
“The city has the largest, most expensive and most highly qualified staff in its history,” Weygang said.
“The permanent staff uses up over $80 million, or 59 per cent, of the $136 million collected from taxpayers,” Weygang said. “This is an outrageous sum. It indicates job padding, inefficiencies, overly high wages and a total lack of transparency. The taxpayers pay for the handsome salaries and benefits of about 1,400 people. That is a truly astonishing number, and over three times the number (of employees) before amalgamation.”
Weygang then questioned why the city is contracting out so many of their services when at least on paper they have the staff internally to do the work.
Weygang is particularly concerned about the overall corporate debt, and how difficult the number is to ascertain from the budget.
“No one really knows the corporate debt,” Weygang says. “The debts are squirreled away in several financial instruments; long term loans, short term loans, debentures, bank drafts and so on. The first items in the budget should be the grand total of all debts, and the grand total of interest paid on that debt. The endless pages listing department structures, organizational charts, and so on, are a complete waste of time.”
Finally, Weygang questioned the mathematical equation used by the city to calculate their 4.5 per cent tax increase for 2023. Weygang believes the number to be closer to 5.4 per cent.
Nice to see our new council & rookie councilors, receive such a warm welcome form some of our concerned citizens,& some malcontents, at the recent meeting. One realizes that inflation is affecting all of us, whether it be mortgage payments, food, fuel or taxes. However, attempts to intimidate or threaten council should not be tolerated. Lets give our new Mayor, 4 new councilors & 4 returnees, some time to acclimatize themselves before disparaging them
Yes. The intention of taxes, above all, is to share responsibility for the services that make us better as a community, caring for each other as well as the land we are blessed with. That’s a tall order for any dedicated city council, given the complexities of multiple governments who each need their share for the same purpose, and the countless demands from individual citizens. Let’s give our new Council a chance to weigh and balance the needs and resources, and listen to all voices, not just the loudest ones.
There are few services here in Kawartha Lakes. Very little transportation except for local buses that go out to the mall but no routes return from same. Councillors only interested in tourist dollars not the senior residents. We have no transportation to Peterborough or Toronto for medical appointments or even a go bus. Nothing is even planned in this area of desperate need. Other smaller communities ie Beaverton and Cannington have buses but not Lindsay! The downtown area is not snow plowed properly. The parking lots, side streets are slippery and rutted and defy walking by seniors. In the summer, the brickwork (done twice at taxpayers’ expense) is broken and cracked as are the streets. I avoid going downtown and do most shopping online. Tax money is being spent on increased city staff who cannot even answer the telephone inquiries. City services are combined with less customer service and convenience by residents. Most of the projects are contracted out yet the city employees are increasing. Development is planned but no improved services are included for residents.
Aren’t Mr. Denby’s association headquarters and meetings held in Councillor Mike Perry’s ward? It might serve the City as well as his constituents for Mike to attend the KLTA meetings and report back to the City.