TAX INCREASE NEEDS TO BE REDUCED, BUT SOME PROPOSALS DON’T ADD UP

Going into the Audit, Budget and Finance Committee, everyone agreed that measures had to be taken to reduce the proposed tax increase. An 8.7% tax increase is not realistic.

What was debated were measures that either don’t add up or will end up increasing costs to the City.

MAKING THE SAME CUT TWICE DOESN’T ADD UP

A good example of measures where the numbers don’t add up are several of the proposals to reduce the budget for Fire Services. The problem is those spending reductions have already taken place.

What was proposed was to reduce spending from to what was actually spent. The problem is that Fire Services had already made that reduction and adjusted their 2010 budget estimate to reflect the reduced costs. Now the Audit, Budget and Finance Committee is asking them to count the same spending reduction twice.

That doesn’t add up. Obviously Fire Services can’t count one reduction in spending twice. This means these cuts will either come from another area or there will be a cost over-run.

SOME CUTS THE SAME AS WERE MADE IN 2004

Some of the cuts to service approved by the Audit Budget and Finance Committee were also made in 2004. After a public outcry, council recognized that it had made a mistake and voted to reserve the cuts.

This year, some of those cuts are back. For example, the Committee voted to reduce maintenance for City facilities, like the new Glen Cairn Pool. People recognize that poorly maintained facilities are more likely to be vandalized. We are not going to save money by reducing maintenance, if the cost of repairing damage caused by vandalism increase. In the past residents have made it clear they want to see facilities properly maintained so there will be pressure to reserve that decision.

The Audit, Budget and Finance Committee voted to require homeowners be responsible for removing tree stumps when trees are cut down on the City right-of-way in front of their homes. This cut was actually rejected by Council in 2004. In 2004, it was recognized that if the City owns trees on the right-of-way in front of people’s homes, the City has a responsibility to maintain them. But unless Council votes to amend the recommendation from the Audit, Budget and Finance Committee, it will be part of the 2010 budget.

As soon as people see the impact of these cuts, there is likely to be a push to reverse the decision. Instead of saving money, this will actually increases costs. The City spends money on costs associated with winding down a service and then spends additional money restarting it.

CUTS TO EXPRESS BUS SERVICE AGAIN A POSSIBILITY

The committee also approved cuts to bus service levels. In Kanata the cut in funding will mean merging the 62, 63 and 64 into two routes and reducing the number of morning trips on the route 66. I am also already hearing from residents about overcrowding. These measures will increase this problem.

COMMITTEE LOST SIGHT OF IMPACT ON SERVICE

During the 2004 budget Council became so obsessed with bringing the tax increase below the target figure, that we lost sight of the impact our decisions were having on many of the services people value. While most of the cuts were permanent, there were a number of cuts that were reversed, because it was clear that council had ignored the consequences to reach the target.

That has happened again. The Audit, Budget and Finance Committee needed to make decisions to reduce the tax increase, but the focus on a particular target meant the impact that many decisions will have was not full considered. In fact, because of the cost of reversing a cut shortly after making it, some Committee decisions push up costs. There is a chance to reverse decisions that harm services people value at Council and I will be working to do that.

WORKING FULL-TIME FOR KANATA SOUTH

I appreciate the chance to hear from you about issues affecting our community. You can reach me at 580-2752 (office), 580-2762 (fax), www.feltmateforkanata.com or peggy.feltmate@ottawa.ca