Posts Tagged ‘City of Toronto Budget’
Toronto’s Election Agenda Should Be Set By Torontonians
When I read that Dalton McGuinty had an opinion on what the ballot question should be in Toronto’s municipal election I was taken aback. It just seemed inappropriate that the Premier of Ontario would be advising residents what debate should determine the outcome of the race.
Watching the election unfold so far it seems clear there are going to be two camps, the folks who want to take drastic action to fundamentally alter how and what City Hall does and those who think tinkering is the way to go.
The province has used the 2010 municipal budget as an opportunity to use spending power to exert more control over the TTC. This is something Torontonians should approach with caution because it means local control will be shared with the province, likely through Metrolinx. This could create an even more unwieldy governance structure for the TTC.
The Premier’s suggestion that the Toronto Election is a good opportunity to discuss the idea of transit workers being declared an essential service was not only off base, but possibly a sign of what is to come with the permanent funding proposal from the Province, particularly in a race that sees the front runners running against City Hall, not for it.
With the significant decisions the next Council is going to have to make regarding Toronto’s future should be top of mind of all voters when they determine who to send to Council in the fall. I believe our next Mayor and members of Council need to focus the municipal/provincial relationship on building a sustainable and workable framework for Toronto to govern it’s affairs with the resources needed to meet the challenge. We need to make sure, whoever is elected doesn’t sell our city short in these negotiations and ensures the Premier understands providing adequate funding to the City of Toronto and the TTC isn’t optional, its necessary.
How about the province just fund a proportion of the TTC’s operating budget because it’s the right thing to do, and historically a role they played.
If there is to be a ballot question regarding anything to do with the Provincial government it should be, which candidate for Mayor best represents our City’s long term interests in negotiating a sustainable framework with the Ontario Government.
No Comments »Let’s Start the 5% Cuts at City Hall with Councillor’s Salaries, Office Budgets and Political Staff
I have said repeatedly that spending at City Hall has been both out of control and irresponsible. I am not ideologically opposed to taxes or spending, but think each need to have a clear purpose that they are meeting.
The last two councils have increased taxes and spending at an totally unsustainable way and have relied on the Province for annual bailouts. I don’t dispute the Ctiy’s claim that the Province has failed to upload areas of provincial responsibility, but if one looks at how this council has responded to financial pressure – it can hardly be seen as an example of difficult leadership or tough decision making.
I don’t believe each department can or should be cut an arbitrary 5% this year and next. Doing so will hurt good and meaningful programs while leaving wasteful, misguided or otherwise unnecessary programs in 90 to 95% in place.
The annual budget has increased 1.5 billion under David Miller’s leadership. There is undoubtedly an opportunity to dig through all of this new spending and find ineffectively deployed resources. There is an opportunity to look at non core areas of spending and find significant cuts to ineffective spending while preserving program funding for well functioning and necessary resource deployment.
But before this Council attempts another ‘do as we say not as we do’ like they did with the unions during the negoiation that led to the longest strike in our City’s history – they ought to look at their own offices first.
They should cut 5% of their 53 100 office budgets, this year and next. They should cut 5% of their 200 000 staff budgets this year and next. And above all they should cut their own salaries 5% this year and next. They could also cut out the catered council meetings, the free coffee, the free zoo, golf, parking and metro passes they give themselves. While they are at it, they could cancel the city boxes at the Rogers Centre and the Air Canada Centre.
None of this spending does anything but stroke the egos of a bunch of ward bosses who find importance through these perks. Gutting these perks, and cutting back Councillor salaries, political staff salaries and councillor’s office budgets would also help them and their staff understand how difficult the current economic crisis is for many Toronto families. Cuts to their own office resources would also allow them to understand how their cuts to real programming impact the civil service as they deploy services to residents.
It seems to me only fair that these guys start with any cuts closest to themsevles and work out toward residents – who pay more than ever and are receiving less than before for it.
Who is with me?
1 Comment »Disclosure of New Sick Pay Liability Demonstrates 'Monopoly Money' Mentality at City Hall
When I read in the Toronto Star yesterday that the City of Toronto’s sick pay liability was actually $450 million, not $250 million as discussed during the 39 day strike this summer, I was a bit stunned. Decisions were made on a much lower number, and while I didn’t believe the City should walk away from existing liability to workers, it would have been nice to know what we were actually talking about when forming those opinions. Reading the amount of confusion the City seems to have in understanding a) how they were off by $200 million, and b) the various explanations for the addition $200 million in liability; it demonstrated a total lack of concern of taxpayers dollars.
Blaming it on a software error is not only an epically weak excuse, but it fails to recognize the serious repercussions of the error. Consider for a moment that between this, and the LRT deal this Council signed during the strike, they added $600 million dollars in future expenditure (read budget shortfalls for later) in less than 30 days. The LRT financing was something the City developed and voted on in less than 24 hours, adding $400 million dollars in totally unplanned spending to the capital budget. These actions are simply irresponsible and demonstrate a lack of appreciation for what it is they are tasked with doing.
Consider that each additional $30 million of revenue this Council adds to the expenditures, a 1% property tax increase is needed. This Council is already facing a staggering $500 million dollar budget shortfall in 2010. In 2003, the City of Toronto had a $6.4 billion dollar operating budget, by 2009 the annual operating budget is $8.7 billion dollars. This is a 35% increase in annual operating expenses over six years, with little or nothing by way of service improvements to show for it.
I do believe government spending can be positive and targeted in a way to have a demonstrated value for residents.But ,I become very concerned when I look at staggering numbers like this and realize that through the irresponsible spending we’ve watched at the municipal level in Toronto, we now have a chronic budget shortfall, no real service improvements to point to in exchange, and quite likely some service cuts on the way.
City Council needs to get real, and recognize they are putting Toronto on the path to bankruptcy. They need to actually think before the spend, to revisit previous priorities and announcements to determine if funding and projects are meeting their objectives and if not, make some decisions about deployment of resources. If we start the process now, it doesn’t need to be painful, but if Council waits until the situation is entirely out of control, they will be forced to cut deep into both the operating and capital budgets in ways all citizens will feel.
2 Comments »
