Voters need to make informed decisions
I hope the voters in the upcoming civic election take the time to make informed decisions. In particular I hope voters understand the ramifications of past council's lack of concern and/or understanding of where money comes from and how the city administration fleeces each and every one of us. One example of this is the recent granting of $750,000 (of taxpayers’ money) to the Professional Golf Association (does the PGA need money?).
Back on Aug. 28, city council heard a request from the Mackenzie Tour (associated with the PGA) for money to help support them in an effort to bring an event to Lethbridge. (I encourage all to watch the video made available on the City’s website as it sheds some light on council behaviour and the lack of control the mayor has on his subordinates.) Council must have been in a giving mood compared to their counterparts in other cities that have hosted similar events as we granted the money knowing that cities like Calgary and Edmonton have offered nothing and $50,000 respectively (wow, we are rich in this city!).
But here comes the fleece; the money will be issued from the infamous MRSR (Municipal Revenue Stabilization Reserve) which means the money will be loaned out and we the taxpayers will be charged the interest. Not one council member inquired what that interest rate would be.
However, the biggest kicker here is that the money that funds the MRSR is surplus money (over taxation) from the numerous business units within our city. These surpluses flow into the MRSR (accounting methods), zeroing out the funding department/account. Citizens overpay for services, the city takes the surplus, and loans it out to projects (or people in this case) and charges us interest on our own money.
The most disturbing thing about this and the many other giveaways that the City has done in the past is that we, the citizens of Lethbridge continue to let it happen. And we let it happen because we are not putting the right people on council to stop this from happening. Bring accountability to city administration by replacing many, if not all, current members of council.