Midland: Tax increases, service levels, leadership among issues

By Nicole Million Simcoe.com Sep 15, 2010
MIDLAND – The 2010 municipal election is being dubbed a historic one by many running for office, and both candidates for deputy mayor in Midland are hoping to nab their place in that history.
Incumbent Ruth Hackney, who has sat on council for the past 10 years, is hoping to claim the job for a second term. She said she chose to run again simply because she enjoys politics and working with people.
“Making a difference at the town level and at the county level has really inspired me to continue on,” she said, adding she boasts 28 years of experience in human-resources management, financial planning, construction and contract negotiations. “I have a vast array of experience to bring to the table.”
Current councillor Stephan Kramp hopes to give Hackney a run for her money on Oct. 25, a day he predicted will determine Midland’s future as a community.
“I am running for deputy mayor because I have the experience and leadership skills necessary to take Midland into that future. I have always listened to my fellow councillors with an open mind to make sure that the best decisions possible are made,” he said. “I stick to the issues and conduct myself in a positive manner while voicing (residents’) concerns. I have listened to where our community wants to go. This is the leadership our community needs.”
Hackney said she has demonstrated the kind of leadership residents want over the past four years, noting it all started with the controversial Site 41 landfill proposal.
“I began by saying we didn’t need another dump site. We never wavered. We stuck to our belief and voted continuously against it,” she said, adding she has also been involved in helping create a growth plan for the town, as well as a variety of other projects.
“We’ve received $12 million in funding over the last four years, $3.5 million for the library, a grant which almost pays for construction at town hall.…  A lot of positive things.”
Kramp told The Mirror he is hoping his skills and record will speak for themselves when people head to the polls.
“They’ve seen me operate over the past four years. They know my convictions and they know my principles,” he said. “It’s not a matter of what another candidate may have done or may not have done, or what their positions are. It’s really where do I stand and what’s my record.”
One of the biggest issues for many voters, both candidates acknowledged, will likely be taxes and services.
“We are an urban node,” said Hackney. “We supply more services than what other townships do in our surrounding area. We have a full police service, full fire service, transit, a sports and recreation centre, and a library.”
It’s because of all of those things, she added, that the town must continue to look at ways to be efficient.
“With tax cuts you cut services, and that’s something you have to be careful of. Because we are an urban municipality, it’s not a matter of just saying, ‘There’s no more transit.’ You have to be cognizant of what is there, what we use, what’s available and how we can streamline it.”
Kramp said he is very concerned with yearly tax increases.
“In one of the past four tax years, I voted against the budget because I believed the tax increase was too high. We know we have the highest tax rate in all of Simcoe County, and I think we’re starting to see the effects of that in community,” he said.
Kramp acknowledged reducing taxes could impact services.
“You can’t have your cake and eat it, too,” he said. “If we look at the last four years, this town has operated without a strategic plan. Most municipalities, when councillors are first elected, sit down and do a strategic planning exercise. The reason they do that is so they can establish goals and priorities for their community. Once you’ve established those, you can start to budget to make it happen.
“If we can establish certain goals and priorities for the Town of Midland, then we can redirect funds from some of the things we may have been doing,” he said. “There may be some programs that are no longer needed. There may be some programs that may be operated at a lower service level, and we could then redirect those funds into other areas.”
Hackney said although Midland does have one of the higher tax rates in Simcoe County, it is due to the many services the town provides.
“You have to look at the whole picture and not just pick out numbers,” she said. “You’re not going to buy the same home in Barrie for $200,000 that you would buy in Midland.”
Whoever voters pick, he or she will not only be required to chair the town’s monthly general committee meetings, but will also sit as a member of Simcoe County council.
Kramp said his experiences with the Site 41 struggle caused him major concerns with the way the county conducted itself throughout that debate.
“We need a strong voice at county council to fight for our clean water, great openness and transparency, and to fight for residents’ concerns when it comes to the increasing costs of waste management,” he said. “The No. 1 issue in Midland and at the county is still protecting clean water.”
Hackney said a deputy mayor can’t show up in Midhurst and try to bulldoze others into going along with Midland.
“It’s a debate and people coming to an amicable solution,” she said. “We were the ones that stood up and said we don’t want dump Site 41, and we were successful and we’re very happy, but in doing so we have to take responsibility for that decision…. We have to look at all options on how to handle that.”