More Tax Increases - City Salaries Up 70% Over 2000?
28/10/2008 05:38
Don,
Since it is a bit boring to sit and watch council, I perused the huge budget binder they left lying around. (Residents can actually purchase a copy of the budget.)
Well, I just checked the residential tax increase proposed for a couple of price ranges of homes.
for a $400,000 home, add: in 2009, $209.48, in 2010, add 213.96l, in 2011, add 237.32
for a $500,000 home, add: 261.85, 267.44, 296.65.
Allowing for typos, at this hour, it still adds up to a heck of an increase! I withhold personal comments.
Elke Blodgett
St. Albert
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Don,
I went to the Administration presentation on the 2009-11 budget this evening. I found it very interesting how it was presented, with administration using comparisons that "favoured" the message they wanted to give out.
An example was the chart on cost of staff as a ratio to expenditures, which showed it as stable. Of course when you jack up the budget to include a whole bunch of debt related to large capital expenditures and Pay-as-you go items as has happened in the last 5 years, you can get that result.
No where do they talk about the fact that municipal employees (or full time equivalents) have increased by 70% from 2000 to 2008 and if the budget is improved, by 2011 that will be 96%!
Just one little thing I noticed.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Lynda Flannery
St. Albert
SINC SAYS:
Thanks for the updates ladies. Lynda, that last bit of information is truly shocking. Imagine that. A 96 percent increase for city employees over the year 2000 by 2011 is possible under this proposal, nearly 10 percent per year. If that alone does not enrage taxpayers, I don't know what the hell will. Is it time to get rid of this city administration beginning at the very top? Given their track record over the past seven years, yes, indeed it is. Ask any taxpayer but a member of council and they know what to do. Council on the other hand appear to be bamboozled by these guys.
I went to the Administration presentation on the 2009-11 budget this evening. I found it very interesting how it was presented, with administration using comparisons that "favoured" the message they wanted to give out.
An example was the chart on cost of staff as a ratio to expenditures, which showed it as stable. Of course when you jack up the budget to include a whole bunch of debt related to large capital expenditures and Pay-as-you go items as has happened in the last 5 years, you can get that result.
No where do they talk about the fact that municipal employees (or full time equivalents) have increased by 70% from 2000 to 2008 and if the budget is improved, by 2011 that will be 96%!
Just one little thing I noticed.
Thanks for letting me vent.
Lynda Flannery
St. Albert
SINC SAYS:
Thanks for the updates ladies. Lynda, that last bit of information is truly shocking. Imagine that. A 96 percent increase for city employees over the year 2000 by 2011 is possible under this proposal, nearly 10 percent per year. If that alone does not enrage taxpayers, I don't know what the hell will. Is it time to get rid of this city administration beginning at the very top? Given their track record over the past seven years, yes, indeed it is. Ask any taxpayer but a member of council and they know what to do. Council on the other hand appear to be bamboozled by these guys.
