User fees and costs – Page 2

Collingwood Council’s missed initiatives

The word initiative derives from the Latin word initiare “to begin.” Since 1600, it has meant “introduce to some practice or system,” “begin, set going.” While any sort of action or engagement, positive or negative, can be classified as an initiative, generally one refers only to positive enterprises when describing political or social initiatives. I know, I know: you immediately want to interrupt and say, “but Ian, The Block don’t do anything positive, and you cannot talk about a council’s initiatives when none have occurred.” I agree, but bear with me. It’s true that, when measuring the positive actions begun … click below for more ↓

Council is privatizing our utilities

2017-01-12 2017-01-14 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies / User fees and costs / Utilities: electricity and water6 Comments

Collingwood council and its administration are planning to privatize both our water and electricity utilities. All, of course, without consulting you, the public. Some members of council have even stated – with a straight face, mind you – they would ask for your input at a later date. A date long after it’s too late for public input to matter, of course. They have already engaged in negotiations with outside companies to take over our utilities, all the while pretending they were just “kicking the tires.” They appointed their lawyer to oversee the sale. Consultants made reports painting the existing … click below for more ↓

Collingwood’s own Gong Show, part 1

2016-12-15 2016-12-15 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Taxes / User fees and costs / Utilities: electricity and waterOne Comment

Has there ever been a more inept, ineffective group at the council table in Collingwood? Certainly not in the 26 years I’ve been here. Not in the dozen years I covered it for the media, not in the 11 years I served on council have I seen anything so comical. Rogers TV really should put a laugh track on their broadcasts of council meetings. They could call it the Gong Show – had that name not already been taken by a more serious TV show. But until then, you should watch the December 12, 2016 meeting. You’ll roar, you’ll chuckle, … click below for more ↓

Those pesky costs The Block forgot to mention

2016-12-09 2016-12-09 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / User fees and costs / Utilities: electricity and waterOne Comment

Who sends out your water bills? Collus-PowerStream. It’s all part of the shared services agreement. Yes, that simple little agreement that for 15 productive, cooperative years linked our water and electrical utilities with mutual resources. That same agreement The Block dismantled and handed over to the interim CAO two years ago to rewrite and update. A 30-minute job that still hasn’t been completed. And never will be. Who takes the data from the meters, calculates the charges, prints and folds the bills, inserts them into envelopes and puts them through the postage meter? Collus-PowerStream. Who handles the automatic payments, the … click below for more ↓

322 reasons why we’re better off with PowerStream

2016-07-20 2016-07-21 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies / Taxes / User fees and costs4 Comments

$322. More. Every year. $322. That’s how much MORE the average consumer household using 750 kW/month pays a year when connected to Hydro One, compared to the same household connected to Collus PowerStream. That means YOU will pay that much more, thanks to Collingwood Council. The Block, in particular. And it could be higher, if you have, say, electrical heat, air conditioning, electrical stove or dryer, or a family. A lot higher.* This council has been in secret negotiations to sell our utility to Hydro One, knowing that your bills will skyrocket. Not only will it mean higher utility bills, but you … click below for more ↓

The CAO’s expenses

2016-05-24 2016-05-24 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / User fees and costsOne Comment

Earlier this year, I filed a Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request to see the expense records of Collingwood’s Interim CAO for 2015 and 2016 to the end of March. You can read these records by clicking on the links above. Let me start by saying a few things: first, the interim CAO is paid $225,000 a year – roughly $50,000-$75,000 more than his peers in similar and local municipalities – PLUS, as I understand it, he gets a car allowance paid by taxpayers. This council has twice extended his contract, after secretive backroom discussion among themselves. Second, the town … click below for more ↓

Fixing the shared services agreement

2016-04-01 2016-04-01 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies / User fees and costs3 Comments

First, some history: for 15 years, Collus – now Collus/Powerstream – had a beneficial, mutually-agreed-on and successful agreement with the town to provide services back to the town at reasonable rates. These were things the town did not or could not provide itself for reasons of cost, staffing, expertise, equipment or interest. It was mutually beneficial to have Collus provide them. The list of potential services included: Reconnect & Collection, Meter Reading, Billing & Collecting, Customer Service, Information Technology Management, Data Tracking, Accounting, Engineering, Planning & Necessary Maintenance, Contracting with Developers, Customers & Others, Subcontracting Services, After Hours Response, Normal Hours Response, Emergency Preparedness, Provision of Supervisory Services, HR, Policy Development, Regulatory Assistance, Reporting and Capital Construction Activities. … click below for more ↓

The $1.2 Million Bird-Flip

2016-03-23 2016-03-23 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Taxes / User fees and costs2 Comments

Only 16 months into this term and I’m already worn out from saying “I told you so.” I warned you it would get worse just a few weeks ago. And look: IT DID. But you’re not really surprised, are you? The whole thing was choreographed by the Bobblehead Block Five through months of secret meetings and emails without any public input. Secrecy, no openness, no accountability – the hallmarks of this term. And it will get worse. Much worse. I’m going to be saying “I told you so” a lot more through the train wreck of this term. Get used to … click below for more ↓

When is a tax increase not a tax increase?

2016-03-11 2016-03-11 Collingwood / Council / Taxes / User fees and costsOne Comment

When blockheads don’t get what a levy is. This month, Collingwood Council voted for a tax increase that, through the admin’s sleight of hand, the bobbleheads believed wasn’t a tax increase. It was just the old shell game. According to a story in the Connection (which also didn’t get it), headlined “No tax hike, but assessment increase will add to Collingwood residents’ tax bills”: (Council) have also agreed to add a 0.75-per-cent capital levy, which will generate about $210,000 for the capital asset management plan. A levy IS a tax increase. That’s why it’s called a TAX LEVY. Trying to … click below for more ↓

Screw the Taxpayer

2015-12-09 2015-12-09 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Planning & Policies / Taxes / User fees and costs3 Comments

Sitting down? Good. You might want a drink, too. A strong one. Ready? Get a grip on your chair. Here goes: Collingwood is looking at a 3.9% tax hike for 2016. And that’s just its own portion. Let me help you up. No, that isn’t wrong. It’s the proposed budget hike this council is contemplating. It was presented to council at an all-day meeting last week. The Connection reported on it, Dec. 2, in case you missed it (nothing in the EB, though).* That municipal tax raise will be coupled with an increase from the county, sending your taxes skyrocketing up … click below for more ↓

Apps are making us criminals

2015-10-16 2015-10-16 Canadian Politics / Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / International politics / Municipal Politics / Planning & Policies / Politics / Provincial Politics / US Politics / User fees and costsLeave a comment

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og3PjvcR1Pc] Almost every week you read in the news about another taxi driver protest against Uber and its drivers. Taxi drivers go on strike, some rage against Uber and attack the drivers or damage their cars. Similar protests – albeit not yet as violent or large – have been made against Airbnb for its effects on local property values and changing social conditions like the loss of rental properties. These are just two of the apps whose effect on our society and culture are challenging laws and policies. There are others now that attempt to clone the success of their … click below for more ↓

Strat Plan Part 4: Economic Vitality

2015-08-05 2015-08-05 Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Planning & Policies / Taxes / User fees and costsLeave a comment

What, you may ask, is meant by the term “Economic Vitality” – the third objective in our town’s strategic-plan-in-the-works? Apparently it’s one of those motherhood statements people make on soapboxes and campaign platforms that have little grist in them to mill into actuality. Sure, we all want a town that has a lively, thriving economy. but how do we achieve it? No one has an answer – not one-size-fits-all answer. certainly it isn’t found in the woo-hoo strategic plan. The economy’s health depends on creating a suitable, supportive environment that both attracts and sustains business and commerce. Let’s start with an … click below for more ↓

Good News for the Rec Facilities

2015-06-03 2015-06-03 Collingwood / Council / Development & Growth / Planning & Policies / User fees and costsLeave a comment

A story in this week’s Collingwood Connection vindicates the decision to build the two new rec facilities last term. According to the story, usage of the two facilities – the new arena at Central Park and the renovated Centennial Pool – is soaring. Plus as an added benefit, Centennial pool is able to host competitions all year round – and it does. Just drive by it on a swim meet weekend and you’ll see the parking lot full; dozens of families attend, many of them staying here for shopping, food or even overnight. It’s a great economic benefit, not merely … click below for more ↓

The Not-My-Fault Dance

2015-05-15 2015-05-15 Collingwood / Council / Ethics and behaviour / Taxes / User fees and costs2 Comments

There’s a story in this weekend’s Collingwood Connection about the PUC board meeting this week. The board confirmed that council’s dumping unexpected costs on the utility will mean an unplanned increase in the cost of your water this year. One of our council representatives tried to dance around it as if he wasn’t among the causes of that increase. This hurtful rate increase happened because council unwisely moved the budgeted cost of hydrant maintenance from the town’s fire service budget – where it had had been for years with no additional impact on taxes – and stuck it on the PUC (without consulting the PUC board), where it will … click below for more ↓

Bad Designs

2015-04-28 2015-04-28 Collingwood / Council / Fonts & Layout / Language & Grammar / Taxes / User fees and costs4 Comments

I’m not a graphic designer. I was not formally educated in that art. However, over the years, my jobs in editing and writing for books, newspapers, magazines and publishers have required me to learn the rudiments of layout, typography and design. I am the first to admit my design talent is merely adequate. Despite that, I did absorb enough to be able to recognize egregiously bad design. And this week, I found what may be the best example of the most egregiously bad design and layout I’ve ever encountered: the Town of Collingwood’s advertising section on pages D6-D8 of the … click below for more ↓