Councillor says NVCA request too much

By Morgan Ian Adams Collingwood Enterprise Bulletin January 10 2010
COLLINGWOOD – A councillor says the Nottawasaga Valley Conservation Authority needs to be told enough is enough when it comes to budget increases.
In response to a letter from the NVCA outlining the challenges in its budget and the need to have an overall 3.96% increase – and a 5.1% increase for Collingwood – council passed a motion telling the conservation authority to come back with an increase as close to zero as possible.
“We’re struggling to keep our budget as low as possible,” said Councillor Ian Chadwick. “I think we have to send a message that we don’t support this kind of increase.
“They have to be far more careful in their budgeting process; this is not acceptable.”
In the letter to the municipality, NVCA CAO Wayne Wilson and NVCA chair Walter Benotto indicated that increases in the municipal pension plan and other benefits represented a 2% increase on their own; there was another 1.96% increase related to increases in programming costs and wages.
The letter indicated the budget started out with an 11.3% increase, and that NVCA staff and its board were able to whittle the increase to something more reasonable.
The conservation authority’s budget will be voted on at its Feb. 25 meeting.
Chadwick said he has had numerous concerns with the NVCA budget over the years, “and if they continue to do this, there are already municipalities who want to see the NVCA done away with.
“I don’t want to see that happen, but this just gives (that movement) ammunition,” he said.