Remember Restructuring – Tiny votors said NO – Council said YES
By Frank Hughes
The present Tiny Council was elected on their declarations that they were in opposition to restructuring for Tiny.
But several weeks after taking office, they went to the County of Simcoe and the Province of Ontario, on February 21, 1992, and offered, in their “official position”, to give away to Midland both sides of the Highway 93 shopping mall strip with its 85% of Tiny’s commercial and industrial tax assessment.
Not one member of the present Tiny Council has taken the position with the Simcoe County Council or the Province of Ontario that they were opposed to boundary changes for Tiny. What part of “NO” did these councillors fail to understand when voters told them 5,090 to 420 to fight restructuring, to fight against boundary changes for Tiny.
This Tiny Council’s CARe committee against restructuring was a sham; while Council was publicizing the CARe committee to the people of Tiny, the Council members never stopped discussing their “official position”, (giving away the Highway 93 strip to Midland), with the County of Simcoe and the Province of Ontario.
One of the reasons given by the Simcoe County Study Committee on restructuring for its recommendation to take away the Highway 93 strip from Tiny and give it to Midland is that,
“While the [Tiny] population and assessment decreases under the proposed boundary scenario, the [Tiny] Township maintains a population and assessment base without any threat to economic viability.”
In other words, the restructuring plan was to have Tiny property owners make up for the taxes lost with the loss of the Highway 93 strip.
A Ministry of Municipal Affairs official subsequently stated at Tiny municipal offices that Tiny residents could afford to pay the extra taxes.
Tiny taxpayers pay their taxes in dollars. Do not be fooled by being told that the situation is complex, or that the formulas are confusing, or that Tiny cannot do a thing about education costs. In 1994, the Simcoe County Board of Education increase overall was 3.53%. But, Barrie’s increase was 2.2%, Midland’s was 3.59% and Tiny’s was 7.61%. An indication of things to come?
This Tiny Council did not even send a letter to the Simcoe County Board of Education protesting against the increase!
I made many deputations, against boundary changes for Tiny, to this Tiny Council. When they decided to comment, Councillor Gail Barrie, Deputy Mayor Peter Stubbins and Mayor Ross Hastings strongly supported their give away the Highway 93 strip to Midland “official position”. After one such “debate”, Councillor Doug Taylor made a 10 minute speech in favour of their giveaway “official position”.
This Tiny Council brags about the “compensation” package” it “negotiated”. All Simcoe municipalities were to get 3 years’ taxes for the land taken away from them. This Tiny Council’s “negotiations” got 5 years taxes. In other words, this Tiny Council’s “official position” to give away the Highway 93 strip forever was for a paltry two years’ extra taxes. In ten years, another 2,500 acres of land, including more commercial properties (e.g. the bingo parlor which, in 1994, generated $60,000 revenue) will go.
Think of the tax revenues lost forever and how we will have to make them up out of the our pocket books.
The members of the present Tiny Council were voted in on a platform opposing restructuring, but within weeks of taking office, they were working to give away Tiny’s most valuable commercial land to Midland. Can they ever be trusted again?
Remember restructuring!
