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"Prod Canadians, provd to call Scugog Township home." Let's Talk Taxes by Paul Pagnuelo In 1978 a round of property tax revolts swept through many American cities. Taxpayers won the day and | governments across the land found themselves bound by various tax limitation measures. Taxpayers, in California for example, cut property tax rates and then placed limits '| on future increases. To cities, across the United States, the waive of municipal tax revolts signaled a new era of fiscal responsibility In their day to day operations. The City of Phoenix, a fast growing city of 900,000 péople at the time faced enormous demands to keep pace with the area's population growth andgthe rising need for new streets, facilities, and services. Recognizing that the public was in no mood for continually increasing property taxes, the city council, after nfuch debate, moved to bid out a portion of Phoenix's garbage collection services. After council voted its approval for the plan the mayor took Ron Jensen, Phoenix Public Works Director and the city manager responsible for refuse collection aside. She asked him whether he was going to compare the City's costs with the big costs the city would receive from private companies. Jensen replied his department would put in a bid too. Jensen, went back to his office and called together his staff. How could his team honour the commitment to the Mayor and city council? Over the next weeks Jensen and his staff began developing the department's proposal for providing collection services to a section of Phoenix. Like a business, they looked at their costs and projected what resources the city workforce would need to provide the service. When the bid was opened, the city's costs came in higher than the winning bidder and the work was transferred to a private contractor for a five year period. Over time, the city lost 4°garbage collection districts to private contractors in the new competitive bidding process. No city workers lost their jobs due to a "no layoff" policy. As employees retired they were not replaced. Others were transferred to the private contractor. How was this new approach differgnt from that of the typical Canatlian city? Jensen and his staff run the Public Works Department like a business. With the need to pete the city collection team, both managers and loyees sat Bown together, sharpened their pencils and published by Scusog Citizen Publahing Lea. E co-publshers John B. McClellapd, Valerie Ellis . McClelland editor : John B. OCNA Meniber THE SCUGOG CITIZEN Valerie Ellis* CCNA Member an independently owned and operated ad sales : Chris Hudson A BENA weekly community newspaper, accounting : Sibylle Warren @v is distributed, free of charge, reception : Janet Rankin o to over 13,800 homes and businesses production : Tan Mappin._ a ' mis" in and around Scugog Township. Feature wrker | Hester Cire nA Verificd bscriptions sold outside Scugog Tomsiip. SO. WHAT 5c IN THE BOX © ONE OF THOSE JURASSIC PARK \/ O| "oe MIEPAL ELECTION ISSUES LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Port Perry drinking water leaves a lot to be desired To the Editor: With local elections looming on the horizon, the time is ripe | hope to raise the subject of questionable quality of Port Perry water. Since the closure on Queen Street West, I understand that the water mains are being replaced along with other work. I sincerely hope that such replacenients, once started will be continued everywhere in Port replace the plumbing throughout our home is not the answer. After twenty-two years we are on our fourth water heater, the life-expectancy of which should be upwards of fifteen years! We've been told lowering the temperature might help, but who wants a luke-warm bath in the winter! Evidently heat, (either in addition to, or perhaps because of, the old water mains) has an Perry where Deeded, before other adverse effect on our water. are idéntified all their costs. They observed how the commercial contractors provided the service more efficiently. Over time, P Unless one drains and flushes out the water heater frequently, more afd more dirt will undertaken. I have gone into the water the government team reduced its costs dramatically. Using tion faicly thoroughly. 1 accumulate. modern accounting techni they chall d dvsts from understand water, while I mentioned this to the service other City departments that inflated the cost of their | 1° exactly ntain spring man who ingtalled our most proposal. They did everything they could to be competitive. This allowed the City team to lower its bid prices. By 1989, the city workforce had won back all 5 collection districts. In a recent interview, Jensen welcomed the city team's opportunity to bid against the private contractors. "We want them there" he said. "It's good for us." What has running government services like businesses meant for Phoenix? The citizens of Phoenix now pay less for water quality, {s neverthe safe to drink. The proble apparently lies partially with recent water heater, and he mentioned the word "anode." When I finally found that word water into the first; used spring water for the others. The difference was dramatic! The first drink was a dull, pale greyish brown: the others a beautiful crystal clear amber! Guess who drank the first drink! Projected improvements to Port Perry's water pollution control plant (at a cost of up to five million) could make possible five ne subdivisions, and a population of 10,000 in ten years. Let's not put the cart before the horse! Surely an acceptable water supply to every Port Perry home should be our hundreds of people of both sexes and all ages in and around Port Perry, would dearly love to have available an indoor heated garbage pickup then they did 10 years ago. Collection costs per household have dropped 4.5% per year since 1979. The City Auditor estimates that since Jensen began running his department like a competitive enterprise Phoenix taxpayers have saved at least $25 million. An important bonus has been lower than average municipal tax rates. After the slump of the late 1980s Phoenix's pdpulation and economy is growing strongly again. Industries and businesses from high tax California are flocking to the Phoenix area with new investment and jobs. It took Phoenix Public Works six years to win back every collection district. Last fall, it lost a district to a company called Waste Management which had a very low bid. (Talk Taxes is a feature of the Canadian Taxpayers ion). ~ those old water mains which the dictionary it said: "the swimming pool such as date back to pre-war days, when positive electrode toward which has. the water was pumped from anions migrate in an el lyti Requi ts governing a Lake Scugog. cell!" An anion is defined as a ki ldn't apply. Anyone living here then will negative ion. Perhaps this project might be recall the inky flow into their And the definition of an ion is: considered, long term, once wi bathtubs at times, cially just "An electrically charged atom, have paid for the 600 seater before the ice break dp around radical, or molecule, resulting banquet room! mid-April. Fortunately most from the action of an electrlyte, Port Perry has graduated from homes had their own wells for electric fields, high a quiet, conservative village to a cooking and drinking. temperatures, various forms of Beautiful and lively town. One When I see dirty water flowing into our bathtub now, it takes me right back to the thirties! radiation eté, in adding or electrons". Some people have mentioned an all of this was "high odour too. We don't notice that, temperatures", So much for my although on occasions visitors research on the have mentioned it. Possibly one thing counteracts the other, and our dirt absorbs the odour! In case anyone wonders, we have been assured by plumbers and water commission personnel that to ) has only to g- downtown on a Saturday to see how popular Port Perry has become. With a better water supply, it will be nothing short of perfect! To other residents who may .