To the editor:
As usual, the time provided by staff for independent perusal of the budget documents is less than is required to address all the issues.
Based on the responses to my budget input earlier this year, I realize that many on council have been and are receiving misleading and incorrect information from staff concerning municipal financing and accounting practices in general. This has resulted in many years of recommended and approved questionable policies which violate legislation and accepted accounting principles.
Many of these policies are detrimental to taxpayers.
This is not only the failure of staff but of those council members who neglect to do sufficient research and question these policies.
The police budget this year has increased by 12.8%, which is over $3.4 million.
A statement made to the media by our budget chief who is on the Police Board indicates: “My role is to assess the needs of the community, assess the organization's ability to respond to those needs, and then come up with a plan to satisfy those needs so we are well positioned now but into the future as well and I think with this budget with the additions we are asking,"
Interestingly this is the statement quoted in the media from the police chief: “But my role here as the police chief and the commitment I made when I came here is to assess the needs of the community, assess the organization’s ability to respond to those needs and then come up with a plan to satisfy those needs, so we’re well positioned not just now, but into the future.”
The deputy mayor’s parroting of the police chief’s message highlights the futility of having taxpayer representatives on these boards and underscores the complete lack of support taxpayers receive from them. We don’t need cheerleaders in these positions.
The police chief claims this budget reflects what people want, but if residents were fully informed that, beyond the usual tax increases, the police budget would rise by $3.4 million simply to address perceptions of crime, their response might be quite different.
This is especially true since the expenditure, like the millions spent in the past, is unlikely to have any major effect on crime statistics.
The police budget has almost doubled in the last 12 years.
Given our population has actually decreased in the last decade and there is ample evidence that increases in the police budget do little to stop crime, this is not money well spent. Note that, this year, various organizations are reporting the necessity to increase security costs.
This increase does not include the $1 million in capital costs that are apparently required to upgrade the communications system. If this increase is built into the police budget, this is not a one-time cost. This increase will be built into every yearly budget and add a significant tax burden for future taxpayers.
With elections due in 2026, this is the last budget some councillors will be involved in approving. The time to make a real difference for taxpayers is now.
Donald Rennick CPA, CA
North Bay
