LETTER: Tiny's building plan creating 'hostility between council, residents'

MidlandToday welcomes letters to the editor at [email protected] or via the website. Please include your full name, daytime phone number and address (for verification of authorship, not publication). The following letter concerns Tiny's new administrative centre.

I recently watched a YouTube video dealing with five or six questions to ask someone on a first date.

The goal, of course, was for the couple to get to know each other and to see if there was a fit for the second date. Questions included: Why did you pick this job you have? How do you unwind after a particularly challenging day? What job would you want to have if money was not an object? The last question was: What do you like about the town or city where you live?

This question has me wondering about what my response would be. I see hostility between council and the residents, when there should be harmony. I see low morale among the township employees, when there should be delight and pride to be working for Tiny Township. I see the lack of trust and confidence in our council.  Council should be making decisions that will benefit all people, be fair and build goodwill and better friendships. Residents and council should be working collaboratively together as a team. And finally, I see frustration for what Tiny does not have, when there should be gratitude for what we do have.

Up until this past April, I would have spoken very positively about Tiny Township. However, things are noticeably changing. Since April, along with 22 other passionate residents, I have been consumed with the Stop the Build campaign.

It has become abundantly clear that council is failing to plan, and as a result council is planning to fail. I will explain.

The basic problem is that, for some reason, council has decided not to listen to residents and to understand the residents’ concerns.

Regarding this proposed new TTAC, residents have emphatically said that they do not want this project, they do not need it and they cannot afford it.

If most of the expense for this building was being paid for by others, residents would not be so vocal. But no, the residents are paying for this new building themselves, and will be doing so for 30 years.

Considering average budget overruns, the final cost is unknown and could be substantially higher than the original estimate. You should be familiar with the disastrous financial situation that occurred in Waterloo with RIM Park and in Renfrew (final expenses were 3.7x and 3x the original estimates). This is a huge risk. Residents do not want to see history repeating itself and are justifiably very concerned about the effect on their personal financial health.

 We all work hard for money, and no one wants to waste it, or to see their money being wasted by others. More than ever, people are seeking value when they make choices of how to spend their money.

As council members, including CAO Robert Lamb, you are fully aware of all the Stop the Build efforts that have transpired since April, from within these council chambers, on the street, and in the Ontario Legislature.

It is absurd that the council has not become fully engaged with the residents when so much opposition to this project exists and so much money is at stake.

Residents are perplexed that you persist in going down the same road. Residents simply want to be heard and listened to. They are uncertain about their financial wellbeing when so many initatives that council is engaged in will raise property taxes each year to levels that have not been experienced before.

Along with the unwanted TTAC, we have rapidly escalating property taxes. This is not a trivial matter.

Annual property taxes are the major recurring expense of home ownership, and it is commonly accepted that property taxes should be rising no more than the rate of inflation. Property taxes are a significant number in a family's budget.

The inability to pay property taxes that are rising beyond the rate of inflation eventually leads to disastrous results. The joy and pleasure of home ownership can quickly vaporize when property taxes are allowed to rise without controls or knowledge of the repercussions.

I am unsure if you are fully aware of the ramifications of rising property taxes. If taxes rise by 8% per year, the total tax bill will double in nine years. If taxes rise with the 3% rate of inflation, taxes would double in 24 years - a huge difference.  Increases of this magnitude are unsustainable and undesirable for the average resident. The tipping point will be eventually reached.

Residents are craving for assurances that not only will they be able to afford annual property taxes, but will also continue to enjoy living in Tiny Township. They are distressed when considering a life of financial hardship and stress.

Let’s look at the solution.

An opportunity has arrived that has the potential to create a phenomenal amount of goodwill and harmony. It can restore trust in council to do the right thing. It would enhance our pride for living in Tiny Township and raise the morale of our employees. This opportunity has the potential to put Tiny Township at the forefront of how to fiscally manage a municipal government in Ontario sensibly.

Tiny could show brilliance, foresight, and leadership in property tax reform. Another benefit of taking advantage of this opportunity is that the 23 members of the Stop the Build campaign would give you 100% of their support and would gladly work in harmony with you, and would no longer be adversaries. Can you imagine all the possibilities?

In Cambridge, a rapidly growing organization called the Property Taxpayers Alliance has recommended that property taxes rise no more than the rate of inflation.

If this is inadequate, then councils would have no choice but to reduce services, programs and staffing. This concept is gaining traction throughout Ontario.

Municipal Affairs Minister Paul Calandra continues to be lobbied. Success will occur, albeit in small increments, until the Ontario government eventually steps in and takes control of this unsustainable situation.

Council has been commissioned to manage a $17M budget, including $9M allocated to staff salaries and benefits. You have the opportunity at this time to find the ways and means to function within this budget.

Residents want you to manage their tax dollars as prudently as they manage their own finances. It is imperative that we live within our means.

I hope you consider these thoughts at your 2025 budget meetings next month. You are facing some difficult and very significant choices. It is imperative that you take a serious view of the big picture and ensure that the direction council is heading is clearly aligned with residents' hopes, dreams and wishes.

David Jones

Tiny Township