Sure, now that I'm home and it's the evening I can give you a thorough response. I don't do politics of the gut so my support of this plan is because of the cold hard facts. So let's take a look at the 'Strong Plan' and I'll lay out my thoughts as we go along:
Strong Plan: "A More Affordable City"
• Protect taxpayers by freezing Victoria’s property tax mill-rates for 4 years;
• Protect permissive property tax exemptions for non-profit groups and charities;
• Reduce spending for the mayor’s political and communications operations, and focus spending on essential-services.
Our property taxes have sky-rocketed in recent years. Victoria saw a 27% increase in residential tax rates (by total assessed values) between 2009 and 2013, compared to a 16% increase in Saanich and an 18% increase in Oak Bay. We now have property tax rates nearly 19% higher than those in neighbouring Saanich. On top of this, the City's Financial Plan has set out to increase taxes by nearly 18% over the next four years. What makes this situation even worse is the fact that our finances are still not in good shape with three times the debt per capita of neighbouring municipalities.
The one that jumps out at me here is the pledge to protect permissive property tax exemptions for non-profits and charities. This exemption is being phased out and it is going to harm many local organizations. We should not be taking away incentives for charitable organizations and non-profits. This is just another example of the current council trying to respond to our fiscal woes in a bad way. You know things are bad in Victoria when City Staff even contemplates getting rid of our iconic hanging baskets to save money. A temporary tax rate freeze and keeping exemptions for charities aren't going to sink us if we re-prioritise.
I think Matt MacNeil said it best when interviewed today. "Victoria doesn't have a revenue problem, we have a spending problem." At least council was able to recognize that ~$90,000 on reducing speed limits wasn't going to win them any favours. The point about the communications department is also well-taken. By 2018, the communications budget will by 27% higher than it was last year, totalling $915,000 a year. OpenVictoria has a great piece on this if you're interested in delving further down that rabbit hole.
Strong Plan: "A Capital City That Leads"
• Take action on the result of the amalgamation referendum; and,
• Properly resource an economic development office that produces positive results and outcomes.
My position on amalgamation is well-known, having served on the executive board of Amalgamation Yes. The non-binding referendum is going to be on the ballot in our municipality and Lisa, Dean, and Ida all support it. No controversy here. No word on mayoral candidate Changes The Clown's position though.
The fact that we are a capital city without an economic development office is absurd. We need to work harder at promoting growth and expanding our tax base rather than tax rates.
Strong Plan: "Accountable City"
• Hold in camera meetings only when required;
• Increase civic involvement in the annual budget process.
This is huge for me. The current council has abused the private 'in camera' sessions at council meetings by using them to avoid public accountability and to give them political cover on countless decisions. It has gotten to a point where nearly every single council meeting in 2011 had a private session behind closed doors. Compare that to Toronto, Canada’s largest city with a budget of $9.4 billion and 50,000 employees, whose council only had 12 private sessions in 2012, accounting for a mere 5% of the total time council sat. While I genuinely applaud the recent initiative by council to broadcast their open meetings live and post them on the internet, it is quite telling that the very first meeting broadcast saw council vote to retreat from the cameras for a private session.
I have taken flak for my apparently hard-line position on transparency with some claiming that city councillors have a right to move to 'in camera' sessions whenever they feel it is appropriate. This is simply incorrect. I would kindly recommend that anyone who takes issue with my certainty to examine British Columbia's Community Charter which, under Section 90, explicitly states the only reasons permitted by law for a council to retreat into a private meeting.
As for civic involvement, this is another obvious one. We have a $200 million operating budget and the public was given less than 2 weeks to review it, and only 2 hours (of a single 4 hour session) to make comment?
Strong Plan: "A Smart City"
• Adopt the Huggett report recommendations;
• Provide executive oversight for the Blue Bridge project.
Huggett is an expert, and unlike certain members on council, I don't preface statements with "I'm not an engineer, but..." We need a council that focuses on evidence-based policy. If the paid professionals of the city staff report that there is “no technical data to support the reduction in speed limits." then I'm siding with the evidence, not playing politics.
I was in favour of building the bridge, I just don't like how it's been handled ever since. It's gone from $63 million to $77 million to $93 million. Now we're looking at the possibility of a bridge costing over $100 million. JohnsonStreetBridge.org has some great articles on this.
Strong Plan: "Strong City That Invests In It's Future"
• Start the replacement of the Crystal Pool within her first term;
• Adequately save for future infrastructure repair and replacement, and utilize public assets in ways that benefit Victoria taxpayers
Investing in our future is one of my main campaign themes. My generation was raised being told that it will be our responsibility to deal with issues like decaying city infrastructure, the growing debt, the lack of affordable housing, and climate change. Well I say, let us start to deal with them. We can no longer be the “leaders of tomorrow.”
We must be the leaders of today, because the issues cannot wait.
Victoria is my city and I know we need City Councillors looking towards the future. I am the candidate who will be living here half a century from now, dealing with the long term consequences of every decision City Council makes today. If that's not personal investment, then I don't know what is!
In the case of Crystal Pool, honestly, I was in favour of a PPP with The Y but council made sure to prevent that from ever happening. The incumbents keep throwing a few million here and there at the pool to maintain it and kicking the can down the road on the big decision every time it comes up. Let's stop the stagnation and act!
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So there you have it, my thoughts and analysis laid out for all to judge. Turns out I am even more of a policy wonk that I'd thought... this is what a degree in Political Science can do to you!
Note: Once again, discussion of this plan, aside from responses to my personal opinions on it, should take place
here.
Edited by AndrewReeve, 18 September 2014 - 06:44 PM.