Cornwall Ontario – And so it starts. As predicted the latest council, gerrymandered by local unions and kool aid drinkers saw the first bite into them with Council barely responding to the water rates requested by City Management going up 4.07%
This writer doesn’t dispute that the raise is needed. Political neglect and management incompetence have led to near record levels of breaks due to a lack of infrastructure investment.
The problem clearly lies with the group in place. With most on council there for at least two terms or returning. CAO Maureen Adams is due for the brunt of the blame as she was the long time Chief Financial Officer before taking over as CAO.
The Long Sault resident (Yes, she doesn’t pay the taxes she plays such a large role in inflating) still is not answering questions CFN has asked, basic questions such as the cost of legal bills paid out by the city or budgets for specific projects like the farcical Fire Chief video and award.
With talk during the election of a 7% overall tax raise in 2019 the bigger question is how much more can Cornwall residents endure taxwise?
With tax rates much higher than the region and Cornwall Electric charging more now than Hydro One, and new development fees the area clearly isn’t as competitive as the counties or nearby regions as seen by the Amazon and Giant Tiger Distribution Centre’s not even considering Cornwall.
When you need about a quarter of your watermains resolved clearly there have been mismanagement and neglect. The question is who should be held accountable if that will would even be there at City Hall which it doesn’t appear to be under the Clement Council and management.
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Clément may be on her last legs as mayor. I wasn’t aware that she was the mayor of Cornhole. The rates that I have seen in taxes and now water are way too high and you are all paying for the businesses who have packed up and left town. I was in shock when I read 18 stores have left town. I still cannot get over it and now with the high taxes more to go and a ghost town is what it is now.
Plus ça change*…
Q. What follows an election, without fail?
A. The government is still the government.**
* Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, 1849
** Anonymous
Four years for Clement.
Karr may have said that. A newer interpretation is “the government is the government is the government.”