‘Our mayor is operating outside his mandate’
I am not appraised of who has mandated the formation and subsequent discussions going on under the title of “urban nodes” is it the Provincial government or from County?
In any event, by merely opting to restrict this proposed program of rationalization to simply the “nodes” it still smells very much like trying to dilute the cost of infrastrucure already built or planned for within the “nodes. ” However it turns out, there will be winners and losers and which side of that equation will New Tecumseth be on?
Let us face it, at a time when our Council is considering increased development charges for the next five years in the belief that if we build they will come and therefore the DCs will pay the bills, the consultant’s report clearly indicates where, why and when DCs do not cover such growth here or anywhere else within the “nodes” at 100 per cent recovery.
In fact, most projects now being undertaken have as much as 35 per cent charge back to all property taxpayers to cover the benefits of upgrades to existing infrastructure and soft infrastructure items on the approved DC eligibility list.
So why do we want to regionalize our water, wastewater, and transportation sometime out there in the future? What economic and administrative benefits will fall to us all here in New Tecumseth? Have we as a municipality been asked or have we given this council and the mayor a mandate to negotiate away our capital assets?
This would be a matter best left until after the 2014 municipal elections and possibly after the next Provincial government election.
In this writer’s opinion, our mayor is operating outside his mandate in these matters and council should be reining him in for the good of us all.
Gordon McInnes
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