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Hard decisions coming
Had any members of the public been in the council chambers on Monday afternoon, they would have seen how much the Township's councillors agonize over the budget. The agony is even more pronounced this year because of the uncertain economic climate. No one wants to see taxes rise more than they have to - and it is a given that they have to go up - but at the same time no one wants to see services cut, facilities closed or promises broken. In order to keep the tax hike as low as possible, however, councillors could be faced with the unpleasant task of making such cuts, or ordering such closures or breaking promises.
As we report elsewhere in this edition, construction of the splash pad and the skate park - for which the township has promised a combined $300,000 - could be put on hold for at least a year. That would be a hard blow to the Bonner Boys and the township's youth, who have been working hard to see these projects come to fruition. The possible closure of some community halls was also raised as a way to save money, but voting to close community halls could be a risky political move, especially for the councillors representing the rural wards. And when it comes to cutting services, just which segment of the township's population would council choose to suffer? On the last point, it would likely be library patrons, since the chief librarian has been asked to consider the savings involved in reducing the number of hours of operation and the number of days the library is open.
Councillor Jacob Mantle, however, was the only councillor to raise the possibility of reducing wages or, to put it another way, reducing the number of township employees. With unemployment still high in this province, it is unlikely anyone would like to see someone lose their job. However, when over $500,000 of the library's $820,000 operating budget goes for wages, and its wage structure is higher than at other municipal facilities, maybe Mr. Mantle has a point.
The Cosmos is not suggesting anyone be let go, but perhaps it is time for council to consider lowering the municipal workforce through attrition. And perhaps when someone leaves the library staff, replacements should be paid on the same scale as employees at the arena or Uxpool. But that won't help with the 2012 budget.
By far the largest share of tax dollars is spent by the public works department. In its initial proposed budget, the works department calls for capital expenditures of $3.2 million, primarily for the upkeep of Uxbridge's roads. Of course, the township is required to keep its roads in good condition, but sometimes one has to wonder about some of the projects the works department considers to be a priority. For example, in its list of road works, the department proposes spending over $500,000 paving Concession 6 between Brock Street and Highway 47. In recent trips down that stretch of road, we didn't notice any serious deterioration of that particular stretch, but councillors rarely question Public Works Director Ben Kester when it comes to road maintenance. Perhaps it's time they did. Perhaps they should ask Mr. Kester to explain what is the great need to spend $500,00 on that section.
Then there's $40,000 slated for a sidewalk on the west side of Main Street north of Lormick. If the skate park is deep sixed in this budget, then what would be the need to build the sidewalk?
And then there are smaller items that council needs to keep an eye on, such as the retreat they held at Wooden Sticks a little while ago. That must have cost a couple of thousand dollars. The reason it was held there, we were told, was because the council chamber was unavailable as it was being used for the Celebration of the Arts art show. Better scheduling, anyone?
We don't profess to have all the answers, or even the right answers, when it comes to setting the township's 2012 budget, but we do believe there are ways to keep that tax hike down other than with those proposed cuts and closures. It's a bit much to ask the taxpayers to pay more for less.
July 14, 2011
