I received a letter in the mail from the City of Colwood. The letter was proclaiming a zero per cent tax hike for 2011.
After living through a 27 per cent tax hike in the last two budget years, I have followed budget 2011 with some interest and can’t understand how they came up with the number zero.
I find it very disturbing that some one or two million dollars appears to have not found it into this budget.
This includes a $700,000 fire truck and some $458,000 for solar Colwood for which the City has stated it wasn’t going to cost the taxpayers.
The City is declaring the money “in kind,” like a gift to Solar Colwood so not included in that budget. Some $250,000 is in wages alone and it hired four people for the project.
Budget 2011 seems more about re-election than good business.
It is well known that there is a $700,000 spring settlement with the upstream sewer that has not been made public and not in the budget for 2011. Let’s hope 2012 doesn’t bring a new council with old excuses.
Tim Grey
Colwood