Chump change or just chumps?
This editorial must be disseminated because it lays out the case for an investigation into a murky deal. It comes from the NT.com
"Northumberland County is set to spend $3-million of taxpayers' money on a property deal that raises serious accountability questions.The county is paying $1.5-million to purchase 4.6 acres of the 69-acre former Kraft property that sold for $2.6-million last month. The county then intends to spend another $1.5-million to refurbish the building. The emergency and ambulance response headquarters will relocate to the new building from its present headquarters near a railway crossing in Cobourg. So, too, the Food 4 All warehouse will relocate from the Colborne Industrial Park to the new county-owned Cobourg building. We're told all this is going to save county taxpayers an estimated $85,000 annually in rent. Given the $3-million price tag, that's a 35-year payback. We're not so sure we can stay happy for quite that span of time. True, no one's going to argue with the need to move the Emergency Measures Services (EMS) headquarters to a safer location. No one wants a death because the ambulance was held up by a freight train going through town. Though there are some questions about pulling the Food 4 All warehouse out of Colborne which, frankly, needs some economic bolstering these days, there are arguments to be made for economic consolidation of resources. The warehouse is really a bit of icing on the county argument: it makes the deal more economically palatable.
The real question is this: why are Northumberland County taxpayers footing over half the purchase price of the entire 69- acre former Kraft property? That's over 50% of the cost for 15% of the property. Further, at what point was the county involved in the purchase negotiations? From the beginning? Just weeks before last month's announcement of the final sale? The sale was overseen by a mayor's task force. Keep in mind the mayors of Northumberland's seven municipalities are also the only county councillors. If this were a private sale, it would be none of our business. But it isn't. It's taxpayers' money. There needs to be a public accounting of the pre-sale process.
Call an ambulance. The taxpayers are hemorrhaging. "
As outlined in this publication weeks before we have not been supportive of the deal being completely private. The land is too valuable to have been scooped up cheap by flipartists. Now the details are emerging and I fear that the people involved at the County, and don't forget that the Mayor of Cobourg is a big player in this by virtue of being a County Councillor and the leader of the "Mayor's Task Force", are being belittled for the lack of business acumen. Playing fast and loose with taxpayers money.
"Northumberland County is set to spend $3-million of taxpayers' money on a property deal that raises serious accountability questions.The county is paying $1.5-million to purchase 4.6 acres of the 69-acre former Kraft property that sold for $2.6-million last month. The county then intends to spend another $1.5-million to refurbish the building. The emergency and ambulance response headquarters will relocate to the new building from its present headquarters near a railway crossing in Cobourg. So, too, the Food 4 All warehouse will relocate from the Colborne Industrial Park to the new county-owned Cobourg building. We're told all this is going to save county taxpayers an estimated $85,000 annually in rent. Given the $3-million price tag, that's a 35-year payback. We're not so sure we can stay happy for quite that span of time. True, no one's going to argue with the need to move the Emergency Measures Services (EMS) headquarters to a safer location. No one wants a death because the ambulance was held up by a freight train going through town. Though there are some questions about pulling the Food 4 All warehouse out of Colborne which, frankly, needs some economic bolstering these days, there are arguments to be made for economic consolidation of resources. The warehouse is really a bit of icing on the county argument: it makes the deal more economically palatable.
The real question is this: why are Northumberland County taxpayers footing over half the purchase price of the entire 69- acre former Kraft property? That's over 50% of the cost for 15% of the property. Further, at what point was the county involved in the purchase negotiations? From the beginning? Just weeks before last month's announcement of the final sale? The sale was overseen by a mayor's task force. Keep in mind the mayors of Northumberland's seven municipalities are also the only county councillors. If this were a private sale, it would be none of our business. But it isn't. It's taxpayers' money. There needs to be a public accounting of the pre-sale process.
Call an ambulance. The taxpayers are hemorrhaging. "
As outlined in this publication weeks before we have not been supportive of the deal being completely private. The land is too valuable to have been scooped up cheap by flipartists. Now the details are emerging and I fear that the people involved at the County, and don't forget that the Mayor of Cobourg is a big player in this by virtue of being a County Councillor and the leader of the "Mayor's Task Force", are being belittled for the lack of business acumen. Playing fast and loose with taxpayers money.
12 comments:
Embedded in this editorial, Ben, is the conservative mantra: If this were a private sale, it would be none of our business.
Baloney! When limited liability corporations are involved, all money is public money and no sales are private.
The real scandal in this story: that Northumberland county, with all of its wealth, needs an organization like Food 4 All because some of us are hungry.
This is just another example of the kind of secretive empire building that the County loves to engage in. Kind of reminds me how we got our brand new County palace, plunked down so unceremoniously in front of the Golden Plough Lodge. Isn't that supposed to save us money too?
It was only a few short months ago that the County was sputtering about how the very existence of the Food For All warehouse was in doubt because of their lagging finances. What happened to turn that around?
These guys make me crazy.
DJO
So we suddenly have two very secret deals made with two municipal governments, both involving elements of the non profit sector in the County.
What is the thread that ties them together, the most secretive mover and shaker of all?
Could it be our very own United Way? Think about it folks, because while we are all out shopping these business moguls who run United Way are making substantial, long term changes to our community.
Ssshhh don't upset the illuminati
Remember, just because you're paranoid doesn't mean someone isn't out to get you.
In Northumberland County the United Way is the Illuminati!
Ben. I can only ASS U ME you did not look at the calander. This Apr 10 NOT Apr 1. If it is not an
April Fools Joke then the town is just playing us for fools.
Now that it will not be a "F"ountain but a "B"urbler, will we have to stop calling it the Frink and start calling it the Brink?
Again such paranoid garbage. Now the United Way is being attacked for moving the Food 4 All Warehouse into this building that they are somehow a shadowy group, pattently ridiculous. They obviously have absolutely nothing to do with the sale of an asset of a multi-billion dollar US corporation to a multi-millionaire private investor who doesn't even live in this County.
That same statement holds true for the Mayors Task Force and its members. The Mayor or his Task Force had no legal authority or control over the Kraft Property and no legal authority or contriol over the new owner or owners.
Two private interests were involved the Kraft Corporation and its new private owner. Now I know saying anything to defend the Mayor is tantamount on this site to heracy but lets at least stay in the realm of reality on these two specific points. The sale was in no way "overseen" by any taskforce it was between the attorneys for the former and now new owner. Saying you disagree with the County purchasing the building is one thing but implying that anyone other than the actual parties involved in the sale of Kraft to its new owner is preposterous.
But what about Grandpa Bill saying, "If this were a private sale, it would be none of our business. Baloney! When limited liability corporations are involved, all money is public money and no sales are private."
The secrecy in these deals involve the following parties:
The Town and the Y deciding by themselves with no public discussion that the Y will be part of the proposed Community Centre. The Y is a United Way member agency.
The County and United Way in the deal to buy the Kraft research building. The Food For All warehouse, ostensibly a County enterprise, is controlled jointly by them and guess who: the United Way.
The poster got it wrong: nobody said these deals had anything to do with Kraft itself.
The United Way is in no deal whatsoever to buy any building with the County. The County of Northumberland is buying the former Kraft research building outright solely and in turn is leasing space to the Food For All Warehouse. I fail to see the United Way as a conspirator in anything. Also as to the Y and the Town of Cobourg the United Way donates a pittance to the Y's overall budget which is at least 2x's the Northumberland United Way's entire budget for all granting and operations. The United Way contributes something in the range of $ 30 000 annually to the Y for programing this is out of the over $ 2 million dollar annual NYMCA budget. I again fail to see how that little amount from the NUW could truly control an operation as well endowed outside of the NUW's annual pittance as that of the NYMCA.
Well, Northumberland YMCA is not squeaky clean. At the AGM this past week, they announced the Morer scholarship. The money was split between 2 young people. One was Callum Moreau. Who is the management person in charge of doling out this particular scholarship money? His mother Happy Moreau. Of course, to avoid any conflict of interest, she said she stepped aside from the selection process this year. The fact that she does it every other year, last year, next year, handled all the applications, nominations, etc up to the moment she stepped aside for a few moments, no of that would have had undue influence on those who did make the selection. Like the fact that up to her stepping aside and from the moment she steps back in from "aside" they answer to her? That wouldn't matter. This is nepotism whether she so-called stepped aside or not. The only clean way to handle it would have been to disqualify family members. If he's a worthy kid. Let him win a scholarship elsewhere where it won't be tainted.
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