Joan wrote:
I should have added from DC charges. When Mississauga experienced their building boom they could raise money for the hospital expansion using DC charges. Due to the successful lobbying from the building industry, the Ministry took away from the Municipalities this revenue source for hospital expansion. Why should a Municipality be able to raise money for recreational facilities, fire facilities, etc. which are needed because of growth and not be able to raise money from DC charges for a needed hospital expansion due to growth?
+1 I agree.
Joan wrote:
When Council refused to put town money toward a hospital expansion reserve fund for the last 10 years since rapid growth started in Milton. Instead in 2010 Council passed a surtax. Council had other options which they could have used to start a hospital reserve fund as far back as 2000 when the building boom began -- slot money, 2M received from Hydro on a yearly basis, or redirect money from the yearly tax increase which has been in the range of 2-3%. Instead, they added a surtax to raise money for the hospital.
+1 again
Joan wrote:
Just as recreational DC money is potentially being redirected from Sherwood to the Velodrome, money could have been redirected from Town revenue sources for the hospital.
Which money did you have in mind?? The town doesn't have a comparable DC bucket similar to what's there from recreation Dev charges that can be used for the velodrome. If you look at the budget, Milton hydro, gta pooling, slot revenue are all already allocated to a good portion of ongoing maintenance items - fixing roads, buildings, bridges etc. If you reallocate those funds you either have to raise taxes by the same amount you took or make a decision on what cuts you want to make in operations or capital, keeping in mind cuts to any DC driven capital projects won't help you. Money we get from slots, hydro, gta pooling help keep our prop taxes low artificially relatively speaking to similar sized towns. If those revenues go away or get moved then property taxes go up. To use your argument, it's all taxpayers money even when it comes from Milton Hydro's dividend.
Ps cuts were made. I actually voted down (along with 5 other members) the 2012 budget the first time just so we could revote on two items and get spending lower.
If you look at the past budget doc it shows how $$ like slots, Milton hydro div, got directed to town expenses which otherwise would have required tax increases or postponement of repairs or reduction of services, etc.