Panhandlers Don't Go Looking For Work.....

.....so why would anyone expect Comrade Miller, his lackeys and bureaucrats to look for ways to reduce operating costs. That would be like saying NO! when asked if the you wanted the biggie fries.......

Swing her axe

With the city facing a massive budget hole and staggering new taxes, we unleash Sue-Ann Levy to ... Along with Councillor Mike Del Grande they found a whopping $440.9 million in savings. Will anyone listen?

When Coun. Mike Del Grande poured over the city's 2006 annual financial report last week, he discovered to his surprise that Toronto's population has increased a mere 0.4% since 2002.

PLUGGING THE CITY'S DEFICIT HOLE

BIG TICKET ITEMS

1. Reduce city's average fair wage rate of $42.50/hr. on $1 billion of contracted-out services by $5 to bring it more in line with province and other GTA cities.

SAVINGS: $123 million

2. Use $90 million of $245-million Toronto Hydro note, which comes due Dec. 31 and will be allocated to mayor's Climate Change Initiatives.

REVENUE FIX: $90 million

3. Eliminate 2% wage hikes for merit and OT over and above the 3.25% negotiated (2006) increase contained in the $3.8-billion wage budget for last year.

SAVINGS: $86 million

4. Implement a wage freeze for city's non-unionized staff (about 20% of the total head count).

SAVINGS: $18.9 million

5. Cut non-unionized benefits by 4% (from 25%).

SAVINGS: $7.8 million

6. Provincial upload committed by Premier in election.

REVENUE FIX: $38 million

7. Raise property taxes 6% to spread the pain (3% more than expected).

REVENUE FIX: $33 million

8. New assessment on 10,000 condo units coming on stream in 2008.

REVENUE FIX: $20 million

9. Cancel $54-million capital purchase of garbage carts and bins and use bag tags (at 15 cents each) instead. Savings would be on debt financed at 5%.

SAVINGS: $2.7 million

TOTAL BIG-TICKET ITEMS: $419.4 million

THE CHICKEN FEED CATEGORY

1. Reduce councillor office budgets by $23,100 to $30,000.

SAVINGS: $1 million

2. Roll back wage hikes given to councillors and the mayor in 2007 (over standard 1.9% COLA increase).

SAVINGS: $284,740

3. Cut council's free food and coffee.

SAVINGS: $80,000

4. Cut council conference and travel budget.

SAVINGS: $50,000

5. Cut council grants budget by 10%.

SAVINGS: $4.1 million

6. Cut Tenant Defence fund grants by 10%.

SAVINGS: $6,700

7. Cut culture and special events budgets by 10%.

SAVINGS: $2.1 million

8. Cut plant watering service in city buildings.

SAVINGS: $77,000

9. Eliminate Toronto Water radio ad campaign Re: Summer lawn watering.

SAVINGS: $210,000

10. Eliminate door-to-door waste and water newsletters.

SAVINGS: $665,000

11. Cancel lobbyist registry.

SAVINGS: $400,000

12. Cut Clean and Beautiful City program (including secretariat).

SAVINGS: $1.6 million

13. Recoup half the cost ($54.50) of the 18,860 free monthly Metropasses given to TTC employees, retirees, councillors and assorted others.

REVENUE FIX: $11 million

TOTAL CHICKEN FEED: $21.5 million

GRAND TOTAL: (Ka-ching, ka-ching) $440.9 million