Letter to the editor... Hornby resident pleased with work of town council

Dear editor, I am writing you concerning the letter to the editor titled, Change in town council needed, as printed in your paper on Friday, February 24, by Mr. Jim Marshall, of Georgetown. I, too, am a longtime Georgetownian born and raised here and also proud to admit it. I could not agree more with Mr. Marshall on his comments on our great town and tax hikes over the past 5-6 years. However, that is where the agreement ends. A little research would clearly show Mr. Marshall that outside influences such as the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) and provincial downloading have influenced our budget. The Region of Halton, together with Provincial Greenbelt and Places to Grow legislation, are the factors in "the progress and growth of this beautiful town". Legislated provincial pooling has also added to the burden of our taxes. Our council and regional councillors have objected to this taxation for Toronto's social programs. These additional taxes are the major factors in our tax hikes that he seemed to have missed in the Feb. 24 letter, and are out of control of our Town council. Another fact is that Town treasurer Ed DeSousa is not a member of council, he is town staff. I do recall reading in your paper about this council being opposed to the GTA pooling (tax-sharing scheme), and how we now are finally getting our roads repaired through careful budgeting. I do not want anything for nothing, as I would also expect fair reimbursement for my services and/or products. How soon we forget about the accomplishments of this council such as the hospital for one good example. In short, speaking from a Ward 2 perspective, we have never had such a great council as this one for some time. Our Ward 2 representatives have been hands on all rural issues. Our mayor is the best in a long time; he is there for us fighting for the average guy and for what Mr. Marshall and I feel is a wonderful community. We should be thankful for the dedication that (some) of these people put into their jobs at council. Instead of criticizing this council, how about a "well done", every once and while? Erik Kowal, Hornby