I was at the April 30th Council Meeting where the Public Feedback about the District Budget was presented.
At the meeting I expressed my disappointment in how info about the budget and tax increases was presented by bluntly saying so at the end of the meeting in Question Period.
I am writing this comment here to let everyone know that, I have since then communicated with District Staff and Council, as follows:
" I apologize once again for the emotional component of my comments at the previous council meeting.
With that in mind, I am very encouraged with the increased breadth of material in the 2019-2023 Financial Plan Feedback Online Version.
Public Financial Management is difficult enough by itself, but especially so under challenging circumstances.
I appreciate all the effort you, your team, council and all district staff have and are continuing to put into this.
I am confident that we can come together to manage our affairs as a unified community."
Jarmo Venalainen Acting President of the Tofino Ratepayers Association
First we guarantee a 5 year loan to the housing corporation of $353,780 and we also give them another $125,000 this year? WTF we the taxpayers already gave them the land.
There is one small hope with this budget that the money that is being collected in taxes to pay for the pie in the sky indoor recreation center won't get spent on it and instead could be used to make the future horrible tax increases slightly smaller.
Looks to me like DOT is ready to spend a pile of money, that they don't really have. A lot of this is on things that some people want, but others are not in favor of. To me, that makes these items "wants" as opposed to "needs". My mom taught me that "You can't have everything you want". How can anyone justify going into debt in order to get "wants"? I'm angry about the proposed tax increases, yes....but I'm even angrier about these proposals to plunge us all into debt, for things that we don't really need. Ask any financial advisor, DEBT WILL KILL YOU! Maybe we can justify the debt for the sewer treatment plant. This we need. The rest, affordable housing and a rec center might be nice to have visions of, but do we all really want them badly enough that we're ready to throw ourselves into debt to get them? I don't.
Tofino has spent over one million dollars on “affordable housing” . No results except a career boost for Braden Smith and many enriched consultants. Enough virtue signalling !
Tofino Bylaw # 1. Any budget requiring tax increases of over 3% must go to a referendum. Bylaw #2 Any project that requires a tax increase of over 3% requires a referendum on that project..Let the public speak with their vote.
Obviously, DOT is trying to muscle this budget into law before the newly forming Tofino Ratepayers Assn can get organized and fight them on it. Cheap shot, announce it on Friday, and then have 1st 2nd and 3rd readings on Monday. Zero business days between in order for any opposition or public input to be organized. Understandable though, pet projects and high paying district staff jobs are at stake here. Why do I feel like I need a shower?
What I'd like to know is if there is a real list of real people committed to moving into one of these pie in the sky affordable housing units. I think not for I've not met anyone willing to put in some sweat equity to get the fiasco into some semblance of existence. They are too afraid to put up any of their own money. I think herding cats is about as productive as throwing bags of our money around which the district seems all too willing to do and for over a decade too.
For the last unit that was available to buy in the otter place five or six people stepped up for the lottery to see who would get the one bedroom unit. Some folks believe this was an adequate test of who really wanted affordable housing. Only six people. Only six Single people or a couple. Nobody with children. Nobody with parents living with them. Or people with special needs... Because one bedroom only cuts the mustard for a single person. You are not going to get a developer to give the district a three bedroom unit for free. Ain't going to happen. There are families here that would jump on the opportunity to buy a three bedroom unit below $600,000 if there was one. So that's 2 one bedroom units the district has been gifted by a developer. The district still owns one and keeps it for staff housing./ The other one was sold and I don't know what they did with the money. Pretty slow progress.. 2 affordable housing units in the last 15 years
The district still owns one and is keeping it for District staff housing?? Really?? That is outrageous!! That unit needs to be put on the market.... NOW!.... and the proceeds used to lessen the tax burden. District staff will have to find a place to live, the same as everyone else. With their salary, they can afford to look in the marketplace just like everyone else. District staff can apply and get into the lottery to purchase the place, same as everyone else!! Must be nice, the District supplies you with a discounted house to live in because you work there. A house that belongs to the taxpayers!! This is simply government corruption, one step away from outright theft!
Let,s remember those 2 housing units, assuming that is correct, were achieved through the generous donations of developers( actually through the extortion of zoning amenities or selling zoning). In any event it is a pathetic result for the decade and a half of going tough on development that has deprived the community of many housing units. For amenities to work you have got to actually approve something, something councils seem to misunderstand. And councils have squeezed supply to near nothing and prices up, up, up. Another failed con job on the tax payers. We would be so much further ahead if reasonable development had been encouraged. We would have had more housing. And the additional taxes coming in could help with our current tax woes
Fifteen years of council's star gazing........2 units from amenities, nothing from the affordable housing initiatives. Pathetic. What a tale of woe of this Juliet and her Romeo. Bodies everywhere.
I'd like to know who is renting the district's brand new one bedroom townhouse at Sea Otter Place, and I'd like to know how much rent they're paying for it and who is paying for the utilities. In today's Tofino rental market, it's worth about $1,500.00 per month plus utilities. Do you suppose the taxpayers are getting full rental value for their property? I doubt it. Maybe this is Josie's idea of "affordable"? Subsidized housing, at the expense of Tofino's taxpayers.
7:36 PM said "So that's 2 one bedroom units the district has been gifted by a developer. The district still owns one and keeps it for staff housing". Is this true? How many residential units does the District own? Not just at Sea Otter, but in total? Who gets to rent them? How much? What is the value of these properties on the open market? This might be a good place for some freedom of information requests? Are the taxpayers getting a fair return on their property? Lots of questions. True answers might be revealing.
Here is another way to look at Tofino's proposed tax increases. The figures given by the DOT are a total 53% over five years, but the year over year numbers are a percentage of the previous year. The proposed tax increases in year five are not 9% of the taxes in year one, but 9% of the rate in year four. When you add in the compounding factor you get over 160% of what you started with. So think about five years, add 60% from todays tax. Actually four years cause they just gave first second and third reading and we start to pay in less than two months....
Good Morning.
ReplyDeleteI was at the April 30th Council Meeting where the Public Feedback about the District Budget was presented.
At the meeting I expressed my disappointment in how info about the budget and tax increases was presented by bluntly saying so at the end of the meeting in Question Period.
I am writing this comment here to let everyone know that, I have since then communicated with District Staff and Council, as follows:
" I apologize once again for the emotional component of my comments at the previous council meeting.
With that in mind, I am very encouraged with the increased breadth of material in the 2019-2023 Financial Plan Feedback Online Version.
Public Financial Management is difficult enough by itself, but especially so under challenging circumstances.
I appreciate all the effort you, your team, council and all district staff have and are continuing to put into this.
I am confident that we can come together to manage our affairs as a unified community."
Jarmo Venalainen
Acting President of the Tofino Ratepayers Association
First we guarantee a 5 year loan to the housing corporation of $353,780 and we also give them another $125,000 this year? WTF we the taxpayers already gave them the land.
ReplyDeleteThere is one small hope with this budget that the money that is being collected in taxes to pay for the pie in the sky indoor recreation center won't get spent on it and instead could be used to make the future horrible tax increases slightly smaller.
Show up at the meeting folks.
Brilliant ! Raise taxes to make housing more affordable.
ReplyDeleteLooks to me like DOT is ready to spend a pile of money, that they don't really have. A lot of this is on things that some people want, but others are not in favor of. To me, that makes these items "wants" as opposed to "needs". My mom taught me that "You can't have everything you want". How can anyone justify going into debt in order to get "wants"? I'm angry about the proposed tax increases, yes....but I'm even angrier about these proposals to plunge us all into debt, for things that we don't really need. Ask any financial advisor, DEBT WILL KILL YOU! Maybe we can justify the debt for the sewer treatment plant. This we need. The rest, affordable housing and a rec center might be nice to have visions of, but do we all really want them badly enough that we're ready to throw ourselves into debt to get them? I don't.
ReplyDeleteTofino has spent over one million dollars on “affordable housing” . No results except a career boost for Braden Smith and many enriched consultants. Enough virtue signalling !
ReplyDeleteJust say no. To council, about this plan. Just say no.
ReplyDeleteTofino Bylaw # 1. Any budget requiring tax increases of over 3% must go to a referendum. Bylaw #2 Any project that requires a tax increase of over 3% requires a referendum on that project..Let the public speak with their vote.
ReplyDeleteObviously, DOT is trying to muscle this budget into law before the newly forming Tofino Ratepayers Assn can get organized and fight them on it. Cheap shot, announce it on Friday, and then have 1st 2nd and 3rd readings on Monday. Zero business days between in order for any opposition or public input to be organized. Understandable though, pet projects and high paying district staff jobs are at stake here. Why do I feel like I need a shower?
ReplyDeleteWhat I'd like to know is if there is a real list of real people committed to moving into one of these pie in the sky affordable housing units. I think not for I've not met anyone willing to put in some sweat equity to get the fiasco into some semblance of existence. They are too afraid to put up any of their own money. I think herding cats is about as productive as throwing bags of our money around which the district seems all too willing to do and for over a decade too.
ReplyDeleteFor the last unit that was available to buy in the otter place five or six people stepped up for the lottery to see who would get the one bedroom unit.
ReplyDeleteSome folks believe this was an adequate test of who really wanted affordable housing. Only six people. Only six Single people or a couple. Nobody with children. Nobody with parents living with them. Or people with special needs... Because one bedroom only cuts the mustard for a single person.
You are not going to get a developer to give the district a three bedroom unit for free. Ain't going to happen.
There are families here that would jump on the opportunity to buy a three bedroom unit below $600,000 if there was one.
So that's 2 one bedroom units the district has been gifted by a developer. The district still owns one and keeps it for staff housing./
The other one was sold and I don't know what they did with the money.
Pretty slow progress.. 2 affordable housing units in the last 15 years
The district still owns one and is keeping it for District staff housing?? Really?? That is outrageous!! That unit needs to be put on the market.... NOW!.... and the proceeds used to lessen the tax burden. District staff will have to find a place to live, the same as everyone else. With their salary, they can afford to look in the marketplace just like everyone else. District staff can apply and get into the lottery to purchase the place, same as everyone else!! Must be nice, the District supplies you with a discounted house to live in because you work there. A house that belongs to the taxpayers!! This is simply government corruption, one step away from outright theft!
ReplyDeleteLet,s remember those 2 housing units, assuming that is correct, were achieved through the generous donations of developers( actually through the extortion of zoning amenities or selling zoning). In any event it is a pathetic result for the decade and a half of going tough on development that has deprived the community of many housing units. For amenities to work you have got to actually approve something, something councils seem to misunderstand. And councils have squeezed supply to near nothing and prices up, up, up. Another failed con job on the tax payers. We would be so much further ahead if reasonable development had been encouraged. We would have had more housing. And the additional taxes coming in could help with our current tax woes
ReplyDeleteFifteen years of council's star gazing........2 units from amenities, nothing from the affordable housing initiatives. Pathetic. What a tale of woe of this Juliet and her Romeo. Bodies everywhere.
"Neither a borrower nor a lender be". Cut off the Unaffordable Housing Hosers now.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to know who is renting the district's brand new one bedroom townhouse at Sea Otter Place, and I'd like to know how much rent they're paying for it and who is paying for the utilities. In today's Tofino rental market, it's worth about $1,500.00 per month plus utilities. Do you suppose the taxpayers are getting full rental value for their property? I doubt it.
ReplyDeleteMaybe this is Josie's idea of "affordable"? Subsidized housing, at the expense of Tofino's taxpayers.
I believe the condo at Sea Otter was sold.
ReplyDelete7:36 PM said "So that's 2 one bedroom units the district has been gifted by a developer. The district still owns one and keeps it for staff housing". Is this true? How many residential units does the District own? Not just at Sea Otter, but in total? Who gets to rent them? How much? What is the value of these properties on the open market? This might be a good place for some freedom of information requests? Are the taxpayers getting a fair return on their property? Lots of questions. True answers might be revealing.
ReplyDeleteDidn't Tofino get gifted a unit at the "Gateway". What has happened to that?
ReplyDeleteHere is another way to look at Tofino's proposed tax increases. The figures given by the DOT are a total 53% over five years, but the year over year numbers are a percentage of the previous year. The proposed tax increases in year five are not 9% of the taxes in year one, but 9% of the rate in year four. When you add in the compounding factor you get over 160% of what you started with. So think about five years, add 60% from todays tax. Actually four years cause they just gave first second and third reading and we start to pay in less than two months....
ReplyDelete