Next year we must do things differently
This year we have a Town tax increase above the rate of inflation. Add the education and County levies and we will have a tax increase of at least 5%. Way too much.
Next year we must aim for a Town increase of 0% or less. How can we do that you ask? "Zero-based budgeting" that's how. Each coordinator must instruct the staff to deliver a budget that cuts items out in order to deliver a budget of 0% (less that than the rate of inflation). If there are projects or programmes that need to be funded (in the opinion of the staff and coordinator) then those projects go on a list that the Council as a whole will consider at the first consolidated meeting.
So when Council sits down to discuss the budget they will be faced with a budget that requires no tax increase to fund and a list of projects to be considered for funding. If a programme is deemed worthy of funding then Council will have to justify to the public why we should have a tax increase to fund it.
That's my idea and I'm sticking with it! I'll bet nobody else will support such a radical suggestion
Next year we must aim for a Town increase of 0% or less. How can we do that you ask? "Zero-based budgeting" that's how. Each coordinator must instruct the staff to deliver a budget that cuts items out in order to deliver a budget of 0% (less that than the rate of inflation). If there are projects or programmes that need to be funded (in the opinion of the staff and coordinator) then those projects go on a list that the Council as a whole will consider at the first consolidated meeting.
So when Council sits down to discuss the budget they will be faced with a budget that requires no tax increase to fund and a list of projects to be considered for funding. If a programme is deemed worthy of funding then Council will have to justify to the public why we should have a tax increase to fund it.
That's my idea and I'm sticking with it! I'll bet nobody else will support such a radical suggestion
2 comments:
Why is a tax increase so bad? No, this is not some socialist ranting. And, this is not to say budgets should be out of control. But we have been cutting or strangling budgets for nearly two decades, when Mike Harris came to power.
Money pays for services. We want services. We want nice roads to drive on. We want arenas and parks and police.
What we disagree on is where the money should be spent. And, is the money being spent properly (also a very loaded question).
But, let's please move away from the rhetoric of taxes being too high. We get what we pay for and we cannot keep believing our taxes are going to stay frozen when the cost of everything keeps going up.
Come on, Ben! Let's have a meaningful discussion. Not a tirade worthy of some neo-conservative.
It is entirely possible to be a socialist or even a communist and still have balanced budgets, we just don't spend money we don't have. I agree entirely the discussion here is where do we spend our money, is it more important to spend $300,000 on a contribution to the hospital when public transit runs at a loss. Do we continue to subsidise the development industry when we know they only pay 75% of the necessary infrastructure need to support the homes they build. The suggestion to zero base budget and then fight about what we spend the increase on forces us to do something we have never done in Cobourg - evaluate and perhaps cut programmes, I agree with you let's start the discussion.
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