Ladies
and Gentlemen
Happy Valentines Day. Its cold outside but I know there
are a lot of warm hearts in Midland.
This past week I received a note from a man, living in
Barrie, who wanted to move his family to Midland. He had visited and loved the
Town but decided not to move - because of the high taxes.
His note serves as a reminder that in 2015 Midland had
the second highest property tax rate in Simcoe County. I am the first to point out (and I did) that property
taxes are not the whole story. Our taxes
are somewhat offset by the low costs of sewer and water services, plus housing
costs in Midland are quite low compared to other parts of the County. The fact
remains though that we are a high tax jurisdiction.
Over the past three years the Town has made some progress
in reducing taxes. As recently as 2014 Midland had the highest tax rate in the County.
Over the past three years, Midland has turned in the lowest tax rate growth of
any municipality in Simcoe County. A good start - more must be done.
Next month the Town will turn its fiscal attention to
policing by starting the process for costing the OPP service. Policing costs must
be examined for the simple fact that they are such a significant part of our annual
budget. If you look at the yellow “2015 Town of Midland Taxes” sheet you received
last year, you will see that policing took 27.5% of the municipal budget, the largest
budget share for any department. Of equal concern to Council is the proportional
growth of the police budget. As recently as five years ago the police budget represented
only 16-18% of our budget.
While the question may have been raised by a financial concern,
the answer critically involves the quality of policing that we receive. We do
enjoy high quality policing from the Midland Police Service. And as stated by
our Police Chief, the OPP is also a quality police service. So Council will
have to address that issue once the costing situation has been clarified.
At this point we do not know what the costing exercise will
show. At a minimum Council will have a better understanding of our own policing
costs and insights as to where we can be more cost effective. If there is a substantial cost difference, Council
will have to very seriously consider looking at OPP as our policing option.
*****
Monday February 15th is Family Day. Town Hall is closed. Whether you have the day
off or not take time to enjoy your loved ones.
Tuesday the 16th starts with a meeting at
Midland Secondary School. Plans are underway for the new school that will
receive the students from PSS in Penetanguishene. I will be meeting with the
Principle, the School Board and a leading manufacturer from our community to
make sure that the school design accommodates the educational needs of students
who want to enter the trades. At 4:00 pm
at Town Hall you are invited to attend what should be the last budget meeting,
prior to Council voting on the 2016 Town budget.
On Wednesday at 3:30 pm you are invited to an entrepreneurial
showcase at Georgian College, Midland Campus. The meeting will share information on College
activities and strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem within Midland. Please RSVP if you wish to
attend. That evening I meet with Julianna
Matyas of We are the Villagers to plan a “Mac and Cheese” extravaganza.
The mayors, Bruce Stanton and Patrick Brown will be there to serve the people. Please
put dinner on April 5th on your calendar – an event not to be missed.
On Thursday the 16th I will spend much of the
day with the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing in Toronto as I look for
provincial support for our Downtown Master Plan project. Back in Midland you
may want to attend the Midland Bay Landing Open House at 4:00 pm at Town Hall.
And that evening at 7:00 pm at MCC, pure enjoyment as the Tafelmusik Baroque
Orchestra presents Bach.
Friday the 19th is a busy day for all. At 9:00
am at the Penetanguishene Memorial
Community Centre is a special
presentation for businesses on the topic of “Canada Revenue and You”.
Registration is required. Contact
Lois Irvine at North Simcoe CFDC, 705.526.1371 ext. 113 or lirvine@nscfdc.on.ca
Dinner is served from 5:00 till 7:00 pm at the Midland
Legion by the Ladies Auxiliary of Branch 80 Midland Legion. These spaghetti
dinners are always a wonderful event.
Tickets are $10.00 with children under 10 for $5.00.
At 8:00 pm at the MCC, Huronia Players launches 2016 with
the well-loved comedy, The Perils of Persephone.
Weekend
Saturday
-
6:00 pm Ducks Unlimited hosts its annual dinner
at the Best Western
-
7:30 pm Serenata Choir presents a cabaret and
silent auction at Ste. Marie restaurant. Tickets at Johnstones Musicland or from Serenata
members
Council Issues Update
Budget
The 2016 process moves
into the final phase with a budget meeting this Tuesday at 4:00 pm. You are welcome to attend.
Midland Bay Landing
Another step towards
getting the site ready for development occurs at the Town Hall this Thursday
with the Public Open House respecting the zoning changes. This is not a design
meeting to discuss what it will look like, but rather a consideration of the
zoning requirements for the site and how it will support the MBL Master Plan.
GBGH
With the
informational meetings on the report over, the mayors are now working closely
with GBGH and its Board to ensure we have a service mix that is acceptable to the
community and that the LHIN and the province provide the financial supports to
keep our hospital viable.
Gord
McKay
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