Editor: The mayor’s recent published position stating his desire for a smaller tax increase in 2026 seems more of a political move – a politician’s promise to lower taxes.
Facts support self-contradiction. The mayor wants to lower taxes, while supporting the Community Hub at $53 million in up-front capital costs and ignoring the associated tax increases required to support cost increases in ongoing operations, maintenance, personnel and financing (lifecycle costs), describing the only way to lower taxes is to get more money from federal and provincial governments.
The more we get from these levels of government the more we pay in income and other taxes in order for senior levels of government to hand our own money back to us in a fashion the mayor may not want us to understand. This is the best example of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Identified in a C-K October 2024 report, it was factually made known to the mayor and council that Chatham-Kent needs $40.7 million per year for 10 years in new tax revenue to sustain its current non-core services. Services include police, fire, ambulance, public health, Riverview Gardens, social housing, libraries, recreation, arenas, parks, transit and waste management. That amount equates to a one-time tax increase of 20% for every property owner in C-K.
The mayor should be aware this is only part of the story. A forthcoming report on core assets will include the additional funding shortfalls associated with roads, bridges and culverts, stormwater and wastewater.
Administration has warned that the funding shortfall of $40.7 million per year for 10 years “is expected to increase considerably” when all municipal services are factored in.
The reality is that to maintain our current services, taxes must increase or services must be cut.
The mayor, understanding the aforementioned, remains a cheerleader for the hub. He should be front and centre challenging administration on several hub-related matters such as:
- Why is the HUB, only a shell of a building, being costed at only $444 per square to renovate while the Civic Centre, already a completed municipal hall, is costed at $850 per sq. ft. to renovate?
- Why has administration failed to provide council with a detailed costing of the hub when factually some citizens have a completed (their version of) costing ordered by administration in 2022?
- Why hasn’t the public been advised of the tax increase that will come as a result of the hub, which will grow our municipal building footprint by over 41,000 sq. ft., equivalent to almost two new Chatham libraries.
It would seem to many a mayor should possess a level of understanding to comply with Ontario legislation that compels a municipality to define service levels that can be provided within available budgets.
Adding fuel to further burn tax dollars, C-K’s senior administration regularly give themselves a 10-per-cent raise. Seems likely any monies we need to lower taxes can easily come from within; we just need to improve our management skills and transparency. Only then will the citizens become beneficiaries.
John Cryderman
Chatham
