This morning I attended the Codrington breakfast (which was lovely, as always!), and had a lively conversation over pancakes and sausages about rural broadband and the critical role it plays in economic development and the livelihood of residents. It brought up the question of how governments decide how to spend public funds for infrastructure: doContinue reading “Bang for Buck”
Tag Archives: property taxes
Much Ado About Nothing
I try not to write about things that are currently unfolding; I don’t want to accidentally spread half-truths about matters that are not yet settled, or worse yet, accidentally say something publicly that I’m obligated to keep private. But council’s agenda tonight includes a matter that has been subject to an awful lot of misinformation,Continue reading “Much Ado About Nothing”
Housing and Homelessness in Northumberland
Two weeks ago I was a speaker at the Northumberland Community Legal Centre’s annual Justice Forum, where the topic this year was homeless encampments. I brought a perspective from inside municipal government, talking about government as multiple overlapping systems each with their own jurisdictional distinctions and resource flows — a system of systems that, despiteContinue reading “Housing and Homelessness in Northumberland”
A Week in the Life of a Councillor
With the current budget including a potential raise for members of council, folks in Brighton are talking about what the position seems worth to them. As I wrote last week, I’m generally in favour of paying councillors well; I recognize that I’m biased in this regard, as a raise from $18k to $23k base salaryContinue reading “A Week in the Life of a Councillor”
Council Pay Increases
Last year I wrote about a proposal in Cobourg to increase their council’s pay, and why such proposals are always controversial. No politician wants to appear greedy, so we typically go many years with no adjustment to politician paycheques, until it can’t be ignored anymore; at that point, the increase to get pay back upContinue reading “Council Pay Increases”
Tax Increases, and What’s Driving Them
On Monday night we’ll be looking at the 2024 budget, and you can see the draft budget here. As it currently sits, we’re looking at an overall budget increase of almost 9%, and a tax increase of just over 7%. I know that number will set off alarm bells for some, even though it’s aboutContinue reading “Tax Increases, and What’s Driving Them”
How We Budget
It’s budgeting season again, and counting the 2023 budget (which was completed early in the year) and the Lower Trent Conservation Authority budget (which was completed this week), my third time through the process this year. I’ve noticed a few approaches to budgeting that, while common, concern me. Hold the Line The first is theContinue reading “How We Budget”
Property Value
Two things came up in Northumberland in the past week about property value. One was a training session our council had about the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) and how they determine assessment for our tax rolls; the other was concerns about property value suffering from stigma associated with the increase of visible homelessness andContinue reading “Property Value”
Small Town Sprawl
We’re working through the Strategic Planning process, and we just had a series of public engagement opportunities where residents could talk about their vision and hopes for Brighton’s future, their recommendations for new initiatives or improvements, and even their concerns and frustrations. Excellent exercises, and we had over 60 of our neighbours participate. Going throughContinue reading “Small Town Sprawl”
Who Pays for That?
The history of government in Ontario has been an ongoing back and forth between municipalities and the province about who takes responsibility for which services. You’ve probably heard municipalities groan about “downloading”, when the provincial government passes responsibility down to municipalities – sometimes with the funding to match, sometimes not. You’ve probably also heard aboutContinue reading “Who Pays for That?”