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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2003 THE NEW TANNER 19 Guelph/ Wellington ca 1. Climbing tax rates has been a major issue for area residents. How would you propose to keep control of rate hikes? DOUG BREEN ci TERESSA GIBSON SMYE 2. Communication is always a major issue with Guelph/Eramosa residents. How will you ensure your constitu- ents have input to your decisions? 1 Obviously, increasing costs of any kind when it comes to one's home are a concem for every resident, myself in- cluded. During my time on council, major studies have been undertaken to identify the needs and priorities for the township now, and in anticipation of sig- nificant population growth, primarily within Rockwood. These long term plans have, and will continue to, allow the nec- essary work to be done in an orderly fashion with the added fiscal responsi- bility of ensuring that expenditures are consistent, related to revenues and within our ability to carry the cost. In short, we know where we need to go, we have a map, and we know what it will cost to 1.Keep control of tax rates. Better utilization of resources within the system. Review all staffing, expenditures and use of outside consulting services. Hiring freeze. Review acquisi- tion of new equipment until a need for it can be demonstrated to the satisfaction of the resi- dents Have the books audited get there. 2.The most effective communication is two way. I live in Ward 3. I shop in Ward 3. I attend community, church, school, and sports events. I sit on com- mittees with the public. Dozens of residents of the township have taken these opportunities 'to discuss issues,concems and satisfactions with me. I welcomeany other individuals: who may have opinions that they have not yet voiced to call me at 856-1131, or speak with meat one of the many public func- tions which occur within the township. Inaddition, | intend to visitas many con- stituents as possible between now and election day to facilitate the sharing of with a focus on finding efficiencies 2. Communication is always a major issue. Constituent input into decisions. People should be allowed to speak at council without hav- ing to be put on an agenda after the fact. Surveys, flyers, web site and email are all effective ndidates answer queries 3. What qualifications can you of- 4. What, in your opinion, is the fer voters as a reason to support major issue council will need to deal with over the next term? your election bid? opinions and information. 3.Even before my first term on coun- cil, I was and continue to be, an active participant in the public committee sys- tem. Some of my committee experiences have been: Parks Recreation and Cul- ture, LACAC, Fire Advisory, and the recent Groundwater Protection study. I work tirelessly as a councillor. Forevery fourhour council meeting, there is twice that amount of time invested in making sure I'm ready to represent the residents on the issues on the agenda. My profes- sional experiences in the golf business have made me a better councillor. | am presently responsible for the budgeting, management and human resources for tools, avoiding delays and giv- ing immediate feedback to council on issues. Township advertising needs to be evalu- ated periodically to determine effectiveness. Township needs to be more user friendly. Be- ing a good listener is one of my strengths. 3. Icare; resident of area since the turf department of twelve golf courses. The experience in delegation, people management, and fiscal control have uniquely prepared me for my coun- cil duties. [live here. | intend to die here. My wife and I chose to raise our family here, and I care intimately what kind of home this is for my family, and all the other families in the township. I have an open, honest, available style of govern- ing on behalf of all constituents within Rockwood, Ward 3, and the township. 4.There are no minor issues. Every issue on every agenda is a major issue to someone, and deserves the same amount of respect, attention, and discemment, whether there is one person who cares, 1989; established a small busi- ness in Rockwood 1995; extensive volunteer service; project oriented;strong listening skills; diverse education -at- tended U of Guelph - Public Administration U of Waterloo, Economic Development: Wilfrid Laurier - Business; Conestoga College, most recent or a jam packed gallery. What I have found, however, is that some issues af- fect more people, and therefore, attract more attention. The issues that consist- ently generate concem are: safety and security, fiscal responsibility, and control- led intelligent development. [believe that people want to live in the kind of envi- ronment that attracted my family to settle here, and continues to attract others. TO accomplish this, the plans and priorities established need to be followed, so that the finances of the township can be prop- erly utilized to successfully maintain the benefits we have now and to facilitate the orderly growth forecasted for our township in the future. Municipal Law _ Clerks Program,project oriented. 4. Excessive taxation and its negative impact on our com- munity for the present and future: Our taxes are the high- est in the county- per capita with no relief in sight based on the current spending patterns and administrative costs. Ward Four election candidates answer questions - DAVID HINDLEY LARRY STAFFORD [Maintaining a fair tax rate while pro- viding services and infrastructure is always an issue. There are some things local council can control and some that wecannot control. Assessment can't be controlled by local government but taxes paid by residents are based to a large extent on assessment . The 2003 budget was set with a 2% increase from 2002 due to assessment from new growth, and from reassessment; however, the mill rate dropped. The County of Welling- ton controls 50 cents of your total tax dollar -- your 3 County Council reps... Archie MacRobbie, Gord Tosh and our Mayor, are the only ones that have in- put on that budget. Thirty cents of your total tax dollar is controlled by the Board of Education. Your local Guelph- Eramosa Township budget represents 1. By Cutting out unneccessary spending. For ex- ample, we have just paid for a new fire hall which is 42% big- ger than the size recommended by the firehall committee. This was based on projected growth over the next 20 years. Since our current sewage capacity is al- most full, any growth of this significance is not likely to hap- pen until the sewage problem is resolved. We have paid to put the cart before the horse. An- other area where we could save is eliminating costly consultant fees and surveys. Three years 20-23% of your total tax dollar. This is what we CAN control. I would look for innovative ways to cut or hold costs inall areas of Township services; how- ever, we have to walk afine line between providing services, building and main- taining our infrastructure like roads and bridges, and, setting aside reserves. The Township has a 10 Year Plan for roads, parks and recreation, and that plan was created with public input and direction. We have set our priorities and these have costs associated with them, and those need to be continuously reviewed and revised if necessary. 2.I've always said the best way to com- municate with people is to listen first. On any matter that is brought before Council, there is a cause and effect. To me, good communication with my con- ago, as a member of Rocket Rockets soccer club, we ap- proached council for a soccer field. The Catholic school board was willing to lease us land for $1 a year if the twp would in- stall goalposts and seed the field for us. This proposal was de- nied. The results were a $50,000 Park and Recs survey telling us we need a new soccer field and the commonsense observation that our playground equipment was inadequate. Finally, the ten- dering process is an area that needs considerable improve- ment. It's time to get back to the stituents means keeping the lines of dialogue open; ensuring Council agen- das, minutes, reports and reviews are always well circulated to the public through our libraries, on our website, and our Township office; encouraging peo- ple to bring their concerns not only to me but to attend council meetings: en- suring that public meetings are held on key issues concerning all residents; tak- ing the time to listen and hear all = concerns before making an informed decision. Itis also important to me that our Township staff provide excellent customer service to our residents, and give them information and assistance in atimely manner. Our staff are often the first point of contact for our residents and there is always room for improve- ment in terms of customer service and meat and potatoes of govern- ment, Let's eliminate the cake. 2 I would like to propgse that no major project, or one of con- cern to a specific area, would go ahead without proper consulta- tion (eg, mailings, or if need be telephone or email). I would like to see a limited 'roving coun- cil', that is, when major issues or budget issues are being de- cided on, move council to either the Marden or Rockmosa com- munity centres to allow easier access for all constituents. I would also propose a more up- to-date newsletter and easier communication, The Township web- site is not serving as a good communication tool right now. Itis im- portant to me that the website is revised so that it is a useful tool for our resi- dents. 3.1ama good listener; I work well with budgets and finances; Tama team player who works well with people from all walks of life; I do not represent the in- terests of one part of my Ward or Township --I see the big picture and have the best interests of both our rural and urban residents of our Township at heart. Tuse common sense, I am straight-for- ward, and have ano- nonsense approach. Residents encouraged me to run in this election for these reasons, and because they believed I did a good job when I served on Council from 2000-2002. I access to all council meetings notes. 3 No formal background in politics,but a lot of energy, will- ingness to serve, and an open mind. Having many years ex- perience in the retail and service industries, one develops the ability to listen, learn and de- liver the goods to the client.1 Consider that my constituents are in effect hiring me, and this skill set will come in handy: I can listen to them, find out what they really think and want, and take that information to coun- cil. Also, as noted in the flier I appreciate the confidence and support, and I am dedicated to work towards unity, progress, and pride in our Town- shi ship. 4.It is hard to define | major issue be- cause so many projects and issues are connected to each other. I believe the major issues are improving infrastruc- ture; marketing the township; building reserves; and, maintaininga fair tax base. Developers are always an ongoing is- sue, particularly in areas like Rockwood Ridge and Everton, and water and sew- age rates are a concern in the older parts of Rockwood. The motto on my elec- tion flyers and signs is "Working Towards Unity, Progress, and Pride in our Township" and that sums up the di- rection I take in dealing with the work and issues before Council this term. handed out through Ward 4,9« have a Bachelor of Science de- gree in Physics and Chemistry from University of Guelph. In my current role as custodian at Rockwood Centennial public school, I deal daily with the of- fice of the Upper Grand School Board, so I have a certain amount of experience with and tolerance for dealing with beaurocracy. 4. Simple - winning back the trust of the constituents, that council will do the right thing when representing their con- stituents. ~ CHRIS WHITE 1. Recent tax hikes are the single most important issue we face in this campaign. Ata time of rising prices for utilities, gas and other necessi- ties, a rise in the tax rate is the last thing you need --especially for those ona fixed income. Guelph/Eramosa now has the highest tax rate in the county -- 14.9 % higher than the av- erage. Past money spent cannot be recovered, however in the future, every penny of taxpayers money must be watched over very carefully. Obviously, the infrastructure and other important township services must be maintained, but " nice -- to - have" projects must be delayed until our tax rates decline consider- ably. Each township service and department needs to be reviewed and intelligent choices made on how we can do things better with less money. I propose we begin review- ing all township spending across the board and then establish some real- istic goals allowing us to reduce that spending. 2.We are elected to represent the people of our Wards and to be the spokesperson for their needs and concerns. While a councillor must demonstrate leadership, 'input from the community is essential. You cannot properly represent people without their input. There are sev- eral ways I can do this: 1) I will be easy to contact - my phone number and e-mail will be available to all members of the community. 2. I will bea visible member of the commu- nity. As a councilor, I would frequently go out into the commu- nity and make contact with people in order to understand their con- cerns. 3) I would ensure regular town hall meetings 4) I would es- tablish a continually updated web site that would outline Town Coun- cil Meetings and other current issues. 3.[have a very diversified school, work and business background that has provided me will the skills that are well - suited to a position as Town Councillor . Ihave earned a BA from the University of Toronto and I am a Certified ISO Auditor. My work experience has included : 8 years at IBM in marketing, 7 years in the food service industry and 6 years as a Quality Manager for J.B. Hunt Transportation. Iam currently an Associate Publisher in my own small publishing firm. I have traveled extensively throughout North America on business and al- ways made a point of studying the local government, the issues they faced and how they resolved them. Ihave also dealt directly with gov- ernment both in the food service industry and in running my own business. understand what itis like to be on the receiving end of gov- emment decision making, both good and bad. The net of all this is that I have extensive real world, manage- rial, financial and human resource experience that will allow me to add aknowledgeable, fresh perspective to council. 4.There are several issues that face the next council. We have anew provincial government and we will soon have a new federal one, both of which will require strong repre- sentation from council. Farmers are facing several major issues, there are sewage and water issues, develop- ment pressures and growing urbanization to the south of us and a major waste treatment plant'go- ing in on the-Eramosa River. However, if a single issue had to be picked, itis finances. We have taxes that are too high and a growing dé- benture debt. In fact, Guelph/ Eramosa has the highest annual tax rate in the County! - 14.9 % higher than the county average $ 274.63 per person vs. $ 238,32. That works out to almost $40 dollars more for each man, woman and child. It will require a great deal of financial skill and political will to resolve this is- sue. As mentioned above, I propose we begin reviewing all township spending across the board and then establish some realistic goals allow? ing us to reduce that spending.