Three Councillors Seem To Get It!

Trying To Reduce Taxes

Brought Scorn & Ridicule From Other Councillors

Anyone who has followed City Council from last December until this May hoping upon hope that this council might actually try to find a way of holding the line on taxes were of course disappointed at the outcome.

Those who were really paying attention have to wonder if the majority of this council even have the ability to read and understand the plan set before them, or whether they just asked Mr. Kenning for his opinion and vote accordingly.

Enter the 'Three Muskateers' who were first opposed to giving approval last January not agreeing with the premise that the plan could be altered any time up until it's adoption. Councilor Anderson demonstrated his lack of understanding not seeing how, once adopted the plan couldn't simply be changed.

Sometime during the five months this council had the budget at their disposal the '3 Musketeers', aka known as Kipp, Bestwick and McKay tried to get a motion passed that would have staff look for ways of reducing the budge by up to 5%. This motion was shot down by the balance of Council, with Councillor Brennan saying that finding budget savings was function of council and not staff.

During the process there was an electronic town hall meeting which was supposed to field questions from the public about the financial plan. At that meeting I asked Mayor Ruttan for councillors to suggest how they were considering lowering the budget. His paraphrased response was to the effect that answering my question would be quite time consuming.

Finally, at the eleventh hour the '3 Musketeers' put a motion on the floor which called from spending suggestions that would have held this years budget increase to zero. After being scorned and chided by the balance of council, and Councillor Greves accusing Councillor Kipp of playing 'silly bugger' for the first time in five months, this council actually did find a tax reduction of some $54,000.

I have to wonder how many more savings could have been agreed upon if the balance of council hadn't been playing silly bugger for the balance of the last five months.

These three also supported Councillor Pattje's motion to replace the dams in Colliery Dam Park over the next two years, in the most economical and least disruptive plan. The plan which was not supported by the balance of council who have adopted what is arguably a poorly thought out option which has no guarantee the dams will ever be replaced, and with no idea what the cost will be.