Saturday, March 9, 2013

MUNICIPALITIES PAYING THEIR FAIR SHARE FOR SERVICES




An editorial in the Blyth Standard of January 30, 1974, in case you missed it, is quoted in part below.

Time to start sharing costs

“The situation surrounding the Lions Swimming Pool project this week illustrates one of the basic weaknesses of the current system of county government.

The Blyth council decided it could not expect the ratepayers of the village to pay an extra 10 mills on their taxes to pick up the expected annual deficit of the swimming pool. Most of the people who would be paying the taxes would not be making use of the pool. Yet a good many of the pool who would be using the pool, would be paying nothing. These are the people in the surrounding townships. Their chjildren would be making use of the pool, but because they do not contribute tax dollars to support the Blyth recreation program they would be getting all the benefit with none of the expense......

Blyth is in the strangest situation of all the municipalities though all the financing comes from the village taxpayers. Most recreation facilities such as the arenas and the proposed swimming pool are used by more people from outside the village boundaries than from within.
Most residents of the rural area around Blyth, we’re sure, would not begrudge the extra few dollars a year it would take to pay their share of the bills, but their township councils, again with the odd exception, guard eh purse strings jealously.

This is exactly the kind of pettiness and short-sightedness that has brought regional government plans into effect.”

BROCK'S COMMENT: 
Time has changed some of the cross-border services in question and the representatives involved. Amalgamations have shifted some of the boundaries. But the fundamental issues remain. Unfortunately, when we try to reach agreements with our neighbours, quibbling about the costs sometimes absorbs more dollars than the amount in question.

Here we are almost 40 years later with only nominal solutions, and continued reluctance of some to pay their fair share. 

Brock Vodden




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