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The Budget – The Only Sensible Option

April 22, 2015   ·   0 Comments

In my April 9th letter comparing Orangeville’s council to a dysfunctional TV reality series, my attempt at humour was simply to point out to Council how sad this budget deliberation appears to anyone watching.

Since then, I’ve been drawn into conversations with many people, some who support Mayor Williams and the two new councillors (wishing to eliminate the additional reserve fund contributions), and others who agree with Deputy Mayor Maycock and the three re-elected councillors, (adamant that the additional funds must be added to the reserve fund). This has resulted in a wedge, not only between council members, but with the residents as well.

Progressive leadership teams, whether they represent the interests of big business or different levels of government, must look in their rear view mirrors to see what worked and what didn’t in order to make the best possible decisions moving forward. But they shouldn’t be fixated on looking backwards for the sole purpose of laying blame and losing track of what must be done to make the future better.

During Orangeville’s 2015 budget meetings, it’s become painfully clear that this Council is stuck in very heavy mud. This is not totally unexpected, considering the previous council seemed very specifically divided. With regularity, Mayor Adams, Deputy Mayor Maycock, and four councillors were on one side of many issues, while then councillor Williams was alone, isolated on the other side.

I wonder if current Mayor Williams expected automatic acceptance and cooperation from his previous foes, simply out of respect for his new title. If he thought that becoming mayor was a real possibility, I would have expected him to work the room, (so to speak), in an effort to build bridges and get others onside before the election. He knows the mayor has only one of seven votes on council, and to get cooperation and results, a mayor’s team building and leadership skills are so very critical.

So now we have an old-fashioned wild-west style standoff with Williams, Garisto & Kidd on one side and Maycock, Bradly, Campbell & Wilson on the other, but without a “Gun Fight at the OK Corral” type solution.  Unfortunately the loser in this standoff will be Orangeville itself, which runs the risk of a great small town becoming not quite so great.

It appears that the new members of council are looking to placate the electorate with a minimal tax increase at the expense of correcting course and getting Orangeville’s fiscal house in order. Tough decisions are needed, but they know making them will upset a segment of Orangeville’s residents. So some on council, specifically Mayor Williams and Councillors Kidd & Garisto, look to take the path of least resistance by sacrificing responsible reserve fund levels for community peace.

Orangeville has over the years, (old council), tried to become the Cadillac of small towns, with the very best looking main street and the very best of services… luxuries we now know only the most affluent of communities can afford. As often happens, the pendulum swings until it has swung too far and then corrective measures must be taken.

Within 10 minutes I can drive from Orangeville’s southwest to its northeast corner and, from most parts of town, you’re only 5 minutes away from anything and everything.

Yet we have two large and expensive recreation centres and two libraries, each of which is probably no more than 5-7 minutes from I’d guess 85% of Orangeville’s population….  a type of access not available in most towns and cities.

Orangeville has a transit system….Georgetown doesn’t have a transit system and I’d expect many towns this size don’t).

All residential sidewalks are plowed in the winter….a service not provided in many other communities.

We have a dedicated police force. I’d bet many towns this size take advantage of the efficiencies of scale by being part of a broader geographic police coverage program.

I haven’t heard of any recommendations to evaluate all departments to see if staffing can be reduced by restructuring and adjusting position responsibilities.

A “Wants List” is always very different than a “Needs List”… and just as is the case in personal budgets, Council must prioritize and provide services it can afford without simply considering taxes as a bottomless bank account from which to draw.

With that in mind, this Council has 3.5 years left together and for the health of the community, they should swallow their pride and find a compromise… some common ground to bridge this impasse and get on with running their city responsibly, with the best interests of residents front and centre.

A suggestion:

With Mayor Williams taking the lead, Council really has to increase reserve fund contributions, ongoing, while making hard but necessary decisions to reduce services and costs in an effort to live within the means that its residents can afford. I’ve only lived in houses that I could afford, and Orangeville should only provide services that residents are able to pay for.

To do otherwise would simply result in much more pain down the road. Unfortunately, with elected officials, long range planning is often replaced by short term thinking because some have blinders on to any timeframe beyond their current elected term.

Reduce the additional reserve fund contribution to $750k…put this budget to bed, and then move forward as a united council. Sell off some assets (as already discussed), and seriously and immediately move forward to analyze & reduce current service levels, even though there will be some public opposition.

It’s not easy serving the public, but that’s why they ran for office, and making tough decisions that are in the best interests of the masses is what they should do.

Message to Council…..Get on with it!!

Morris Greener

East Garafraxa

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