*The Mayor MUST go through a mental assessment annually.
*The Mayor, Council Members And Senior Bureaucrat's annual salary will be reduced by the % the property tax exceeds the cost of living.
Delusions of budget grandeur: Levy
Mayor says his policies have this city in a ‘fiscally sustainable position.’ I beg to differ
By Sue-Ann Levy
Mayor David Miller said Wednesday he’s leaving the city with a “strong” operating budget and that his regime has “managed prudently” in “extraordinary circumstances.”
He said they’ve also made some “difficult” decisions, referring to the creation of the land-transfer and personal vehicle taxes under his watch.
“It’s left this city in a fiscally sustainable position,” he said.
“That’s not just my position, that’s the position of Moody’s (bond rating agency),” Miller added, referring to Moody’s upgrade in the city’s rating to AA1 last week.
The mayor added “any reasonably informed person” can’t hold a different position.
King David’s henchmen on the Executive Committee echoed his sentiments as they crowed about the $9.2-billion operating budget — and Miller’s last (thankfully) — before rubberstamping it.
Would-be mayor Joe Pantalone, a.k.a. David Miller the Sequel, thought it an “affordable budget” which achieves a number of objectives in terms of “city-building.” (Yawn.)
Howard Moscoe-saurus said much has been made about the recently discovered $100-million surplus when it’s just a “tiny, tiny amount” — no more than “nickels” — compared to the $9-billion budget.
(Hmmm. One can only imagine how many “nickels” Moscoe has thrown down the drain to keep his union buddies well paid and well fed during his esteemed 32-year career on the public teat.)
Another Miller lieutenant, Janet Davis was downright effusive.
“It would be complete disservice to our finance staff to describe this budget in any other terms but deliberate, thorough, responsible and prudent,” the good union sister gushed.
OK, call me uninformed. Make me hang my head in shame.
But evidently I had not swallowed the Hypnotiq the mayor and his cheerleaders seemed to share Wednesday.
A sustainable future, my foot. Prudent and thorough? Those words are just downright delusional.
I won’t talk about the 671 new positions that are in this year’s budget over and above the 423 permanent positions being decreased through attrition. Some savings.
I won’t talk about all the little extras that have been included, despite the difficult times, like the $654,000 budgeted to produce three Our Toronto promotional newsletters.
There’s also $70,000 set aside to continue funding Miller’s C40 Climate Change office in London, England. I sense a farewell tour looming.
Then there’s the Shore Up the Arts Vote (in the October election) funding program.
The ink was barely dry on the new Third Party Sign Tax — which kicked in officially Tuesday with grandiose projections to collect $3.5 million this year and $10 million in 2011. Yet that didn’t stop budget chief Shelley Carroll, who urged her comrades-in-arms to support a motion that city officials report back on how the new proceeds can be used next year for arts and culture funding.
No issue there. Her socialist pals were only too happy to comply.
After all, buying votes is a fine art at Socialist Silly Hall.
And why shouldn’t they spout their nonsense? After all, not one member of the Responsible Government Group bothered to turn up to Wednesday’s budget rubber-stamping. Mayoralty candidate Rob Ford was a no-show, too.
Only Doug Holyday was there to offer some common sense.
He said the last thing council should agree to, with the city in dire straits, is to give the proceeds of the billboard tax to the arts community.
He called the city’s long-term fiscal plan that involves getting 50% of provincial transit funding plus one-cent of the provincial or federal sales tax plus encouraging Queen’s Park to upload the costs of social housing all “pie in the sky” concepts.
If none of those things happen, and they won’t, he predicted property taxes will have to increase an average of 10% over the next three years.
City staff backed him up, saying without new revenue sources, Torontonians will face a tax bill hike of 12.5% in 2011 and 11% in 2012.
“It’s not a way to run this ship,” he said. “The next council will have a big job ahead of it.”
He’s absolutely right.
But why should David Miller worry?
He’s leaving behind a “fiscally sustainable” city.
Pass me the Hypnotiq.
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And they wonder why people regard them as pond scum. This is the most stupid thing ever. The city should cancel the ticket then work on getting the law repealed. I'd get them to work on that 4 legged animal one too. You just know some uniformed nazi wanna be will remember that one and start using it. I'd like to know how long the guy or gal was on the job. Sounds like a severe case of rookie-itis.