Counterpoint: Question #22
The Lindsay Post is running a weekly series of questions, with answers by both the "Yes" and "No" sides of the issues.

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Question #22:
What would your system do to lessen the burden of user fees in our communities?

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      Since amalgamation, user fees in the City of Kawartha Lakes have risen steadily. Fees (including charges & donations, licences, permits, rents & fines) went from $17 million (in the year 2000) to $22 million (2001) then $23.3 million (2002 and 2003 budget). In fact, cumulative increases in user fees since amalgamation have been more than the user fees were in the last year of Victoria County. Likewise, cumulative net tax increases have been slightly over $11 million. Why? Because city council has shown itself to be incapable of curbing its spending.

     As any family trying to balance the budget already knows, if you can't increase income you have to cut spending. How would de-amalgamation reduce the need for tax and user fee hikes?

     First, by stopping the spending spree. While some expenses are non-discretionary (eg. user fees now include rent on social service facilities downloaded from the Province), many more reflect an attitude that "money is no object". Just within the last month, Council has approved $75,000 for a new ice resurfacer just because the one it replaced was "the oldest in the fleet", and $300,000 to "make all city services accessable in just one internet stop".

     De-amalgamation will bring councils closer to their electors. Never again will we hear "we're a hundred million dollar corporation," or "This item [the $75 thousand ice-resurfacer] has been budgeted; why are we even debating it?"

     Second, by welcoming back volunteers. Many community services handled in the past by volunteers have now been taken over by paid staff. The way we're heading we might not to be able to afford some of these community facilities.

     And third, by taking tighter control over how expenditures are made. Local councils used to review all expenditures. Now Council reviews only those over $35 thousand. Even the budgets presented by staff to Council show only summaries, omitting details.

     The city's books are literally out of control, as attested to by 47 pages of scathing comments attached to our most recent audit. Anyone familiar with financial audits knows that while one or two pages of auditors' recommendations to management are to be expected, 47 is unheard of (except at the CoKL).

     Study after study has shown that expenses rise because of amalgamation. Even our esteemed Mr. Kitchen concluded in his Peterborough County/City Municipal Review in 1997: "The net result of moving to a one tier level of government rather than the two tier is an expected increase in overall cost." More recently, Pat Vanini, executive director of the Association of Municipalities was quoted in the Owen Sound Sun Times: "The harsh reality is that in many cases the promised efficiencies have not materialized. I have not seen one case where it (amalgamation) doesn't result in ratcheting up costs."

     We can look around Ontario and see other small municipalities still living within their means. Before amalgamation, most of our local councils acted responsibly with small budgets which they managed like it was their own money - because it was.

     When a service is paid for by user fees, the cost should be removed from general tax revenues, and taxes should go down accordingly. User fees should reflect the cost of services; if the fees exceed the cost of the services, they are just another tax grab. User fees, and taxes, have risen since amalgamation for just one reason: our out-of-control City needs money to feed its spending habit.