It’s time to say no to bad news budgets

After hiring about 100 new employees in the last two years, city council has hired 61 new employees for 2019. So, just what tasks were not done in 2018 that require 61 new employees to get those tasks done in 2019?

Rather than bleeding people into poverty with more taxes, it’s time to make drastic cuts everywhere and anywhere. When compounded over the last 12 years, property taxes have increased almost 60 per cent.

Instead of giving blind, unquestioned obedience to city management, it’s time to say “no” and insist on zero increases for all departments, and a mandatory hiring freeze for at least three years.

Every million dollars taken out of taxpayers’ pockets is a million dollars that won’t get spent on local businesses. Taking tax money from people’s wallets suffocates the economy.

The “writing is on the wall” for financial difficulty in 2019 and yet council does the unthinkable adding 61 new employees. Further is the silliness of two new positions costing $120,000 to find fiscal savings. Their first order of business should be finding fiscal savings by firing city council and themselves.

It is not the time for any more projects, studies, or expenditures of any kind. It is the time to cut, reduce, eliminate and downsize in every service and department to achieve no property tax increases for three years. Doing otherwise would confirm that we elected the wrong people. Don Scott, Saskatoon