Grey Sauble Conservation Levy The Grey Sauble Conservation Levy was $304,808 last year. (BTW in 2025 this grew to $354,134). This is normally an expense that is paid from our taxes. In 2024 staff recommended and Council approved that the cost of the Grey Sauble Conservation Levy be transferred to our water rates. By doing so this gives the illusion that we are saving money because it will make the tax increase less than it actually is and it will be hidden and out of sight since the Water and Wastewater department is not included in the annual brief. You will not know if it goes up next year, but you will see its impact when you look at your water bill. If you recall this year there was an announcement that Water and Sewer rates were going up by 8.1%. I wonder how much the transfer of the Grey Sauble Conservation Levy contributed to this? I also wonder why the cost of operating the Grey Sauble Conservation Authority is not fully funded by the County since it clearly covers the whole County? Perhaps a question for Council? Art Galley Debt A few years ago when the Art Gallery ‘Note-for-Profit ' experiment failed the Art Gallery came back to the city with a very large debt – about $700,000. I recall Mayor Ian Boddy telling us at the time, not to worry because the Art Gallery would pay the city back for this debt. Since then the Art Gallery has been paying the city back at a rate of $50,000 per year. In 2024 staff are recommended that the Art Gallery 's $50,000 debt payment be moved to the 2023 operating surplus. Another illusion - this gave the illusion that the Art Gallery is doing better. The facts are that the Art Gallery's is failing. The Membership line item in the 2024 budget shows revenue of $7,500 down from $9.500 in 2023 and $15,500 in 2022. As well the revenue from the Gift Shop is budgeted to be only $3,650 in 2024 down from $9,650 in 2023. The Gift Shop had budgeted for over $20,000 in revenues in 2021 and 2022 now we are looking at revenues of only $3,650. This is a clear indication that traffic is down significantly. Yet, the Art Gallery is only opened to the public for 9 hours per week. Why is this? Parks Full Time Position In 2024 staff once again recommended that another full time position be created and to offset the cost that a seasonal position be eliminated a savings of $20,000. This is clear a migration of work from seasonal to full time which will cost taxpayers in all future budgets. We all know that the $20,000 in savings will disappear in the future, perhaps as early as next year, when these seasonal and student positions will come back. The bottom line is that workloads should not have changed so there is no need to create a new full time position in Parks. This should not happen! Email Members of Council and tell them to stop growing the workforce – we can 't afford it! |