To the editor:
Now that budget deliberations have started it would appear that taxpayers are looking at hundreds of dollars in tax and water-bill increases.
Proposed water bills could increase about 12 per cent and municipal taxes between four per cent and six per cent.
These increases are unacceptable.
More properties will likely go into tax arrears as a result of these increases. Some homeowners might be forced to sell and how many more businesses will end up closing?
There has been alot of talk about byelections should a vacancy occur on council, but no talk about a plebiscite on the proposed event centre that has more than doubled in price over the last couple of years to $113 millon dollars.
Mayor Hobbs stated on March 13, 2014: "Since being elected mayor, I have developed an in-depth understanding of the proposed event and convention centre. I have personally come to the conclusion that a ballot question is simply not the right tool for this project"
Now that the state of the city's finances are coming to light I ask Mayor Hobbs:
Have you now developed an in-depth understanding of the dire financial staits of our city and come to the conclusion that this is not the right project to proceed with at this time?
Ray Smith,
Thunder Bay
