CFN – In last night’s regularly scheduled meeting of the South Stormont Town Council there were no presentations and no demonstrations, just the ordinary business of the township. Only the department reports and motions and by-laws that are common during these meetings were on the agenda.
The OPP presented a report listing the number of offenses that they responded to during the month of October. The Fire & Rescue report did the same for their department. The highlight of the finance report was a proposed procedure to round cash transactions up or down to the nearest five cent increment. However if a person or party chose to make a cash transaction with pennies, no rounding will be required.
During the Building and Development report Hilton Cryderman discussed an ongoing concern over cats creating a nuisance in one residential neighbourhood. There have been numerous complaints and a potential by-law to control cats was brought up at the meeting. After a lengthy discussion it was decided to see if one of the nuisance bylaws already on the books could handle the situation. Mayor McGillis and Deputy Mayor Hart agreed that said that they didn’t want to make a bylaw if they don’t have the resources to enforce it.
Approval for terms of reference for the Ingleside Community Park Committee was discussed during the Public Works Operations report. A committee will be formed to examine and develop potential community park options in the Ingleside area. A press release in the near future will outline the requirements of committee members and how to apply for the position.
The last item on the agenda was the most contentious one of the evening. During the vote to approve the listed bylaws, Deputy Mayor Hart insisted that the vote on the “By-law to Establish Remuneration for Non-Union Employees” be recorded. All members of the council with exception of Deputy Mayor Hart voted to approve the by-law with Deputy Mayor Hart voting against. Mayor McGillis expressed surprise over Deputy Mayor Hart’s position stating that during the committee discussion on this bylaw she stated that she was in favour. Deputy Mayor Hart simply replied that she had changed her mind.
Mayor McGillis went on the describe how the consultants that the township had hired to review non-union remuneration had established that the rate that South Stormont paid their non-union employees was 25% lower than similar positions in the surrounding communities. This bylaw would not jump salaries up by 25% but will start to incrementally increase the salaries over time. The mayor went on to say that in order to retain or hire new competent employees their salaries must at least be competitive with other communities.
As more and more surrounding communities continue to have funding concerns and face reducing essential services and more and more tax payers complain of high and ever increasing taxes while they can only find part time work it has to be remembered that in business that 80% of the cost of doing business in Canada is payroll so as these other municipalities try to find ways to reduce taxes or that 80% that costs them so munch South Stormont plays catch up . Interesting to say the least.
I bet those other communities that are now struggling with there past salary increase because they where lead to believed they needed to do so to retain or hire new competent employees with their salaries being competitive with other communities, such as Toronto , Ottawa , Kingston where the cost of living far exceeds this area,I bet they are now looking at South Stormont and shaking their heads and thinking if they only Knew whats heading their way.
I bet the residents of South Stormont will soon be facing the barrel of surely large tax increases phased in over the next several years . Had only this government done their own homework saved a consultants fee and taken a made at home approach to increase needed positions and give needed wage increases knowing that across Canada there are thousands of out of work highly qualified workers looking for a plum job a municipal job can be when it comes to job security and benefits.
taxpayers will have to try to remember who fought for them and who voted for large tax increases at the next election.
Is that really what this is about at the end of the day RC? Or is it a simple case of one politician trying to crap on another for political gain? What townships in this area have a better set of financials that South Stormont?
Admin You may be right but I hear that all that was said and done was behind closed doors In Camera so your guess is as good as mine just look whats happening here in Cornwall just because the majority says it so some times its the lonely fighter that actually has the taxpayers concerns they fight out numbered and when they become a threat leaked inside news can be twisted to cast doubt on the lone crusader !
And all it takes is one bad decision to destroy a life time of building your lifetime financial castle it happens all the time at the personal level it can also happen to corporations . Since salaries make up a large percentage of the tax bill I predict tax increases over the next several years for South Stormont. {MODERATED}