December 10, 2003

The City and Commerce

The myth of Public/Private successful partnerships has been circulating for too long. Coupled with direct involvement in commercial projects here in the city of Windsor we have seen a massive outpouring of unproductive tax dollars. The result has been a steady increase in property taxes and an unprecedented debt approaching $250 million. As the City’s finances have been strained to breaking point, the infrastructure has been left to deteriorate and even priority repairs are routinely neglected. Municipal government has become a catch-all of individual pet projects and special interest groups. This is a damning condemnation of the status quo.

The results of the last election are extremely encouraging. A new mayor and a revitalized city council show promise of a new beginning for the long-suffering taxpayers of this city. However, there are signs that there is some reluctance to initiate really drastic remedial action. There can be no argument that the new regime starts with zero cash in the till and it inherits long-term financial commitments that are a millstone round the taxpayer’s necks. Council must come to grips with the neglected notions of Mandate, Service & Priority. Everything else must be subjugated to those concepts. No longer can they adequately represent the electorate by acceding to what special interest groups want. Want is out and need is in!

With the Candarel fiasco serving as a constant reminder it is time get back to basics. The taxpayers can no longer tolerate city ownership of any commercial undertakings. The need is for substantial amounts of cash and new sources of regular income, without raising taxes. The sale of all of the city’s commercial holdings would achieve both goals. It is clear that when the city owns and operates commercial projects, it is in a direct conflict of interest with it’s own taxpayers. This is intolerable. Now is a good time to put an end to this practice and make the new council’s watchwords, “Mandate, Service & Priority”

The mere suggestion of the sale of some sacred cows, cherished by the few and paid for by the many, brings howls of indignation. They are defensively described by the users as being gems in Windsor’s crown of social benefits. The truth is that a privileged few are exploiting the majority for purely selfish reasons. Millions of tax dollars are used to capitalize these institutions. However, unlike any private investment, there is an absence of an adequate return on those tax dollars. The anomaly is highlighted by the recent request by the board of Roseland Golf Club for the taxpayers of Windsor to spend $2.3 million for massive updates and improvements. Even though there may be a reserve fund for the upkeep of the facility, can a massive update be considered a priority? Of course not! Roseland is not a privately owned country club. It is the wholly owned property of the taxpayers of Windsor. Let us remember one of those long neglected watchwords. “Priority”. Their current request amounts to a selfish game of empire building. Something they want being more important than the city’s pressing needs. Meanwhile taxpayers are paying for services they either never receive or which are overpriced. Outdated sewers, roads and sidewalks are prime examples.

If Roseland were sold to a private entity, the result would be a twofold benefit to all the taxpayers in this city. A substantial amount of cash would be available for investment to cushion some of the long-term debt. The new owners would pay Property and Business taxes giving the city some new unencumbered income. Any fear of the golf course being closed or used for development could be prevented by zoning and a watertight contract of sale. Golfers would still play golf but at the true cost, without the present taxpayer subsidy. This is an example of how council can divert every possible cent of income to priorities. Roseland is just one of many commercial operations which operate to the detriment of the majority of taxpayers. Councillors must find the intestinal fortitude to tackle these glaring inequities.

Tax dollars are hard earned, they must be used for the benefit of all the citizens of this city. They should not be diverted to maintain the interests of special interest groups.

Al Nelman