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HALTON'S
ONLY DAILY NEWSGROUP
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City of Halton – A View From The North February 9, 2006. Halton - Milton: Thanks to Mr. Morrow for raising the question of Halton municipal structure. It was timely, important, and the issue has been ignored like the elephant in the corner for far too long. I would certainly agree that we don’t need two levels of municipal government but it is the Region level that is redundant. My sense is that people are demanding elected representatives that truly represent the interests of their constituents, and more say in the developments in their distinct communities. A City of Halton would give them even less of both than they have now as part of the Region. At present, Councils in Milton and Halton Hills are responsible for only
about 25% of the local taxpayer’s municipal bill. Each community
sends 3 representatives to the Region Council of 21. Programs from the
Region are spread evenly over all communities, and paid for in tax increases,
whether local taxpayers want them or not. Taxpayers have lost control
to the Region bureaucracy and a new City of Halton would only make that
worse. continues next column ...
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It can be argued that the amalgamated cities of Toronto and Hamilton are disasters. Many municipalities are fighting to exit from amalgamations and Regions. It may be true that the Region has been building toward city status for years but that doesn’t mean we have to go to the end of the cycle before correcting the error and moving back to local control. There may be good economics, and enough similarities in community, to combine Oakville and Burlington into a single city. That is up to them. I am confidant that the taxpayers of the two north Halton communities, if allowed to vote, would prefer not to be governed by the majority in the south – either as a Region or a City. My proposal would be to remove the Region level and leave 4, or 3, independent communities. Coordinate tendering of service contracts to retain economies of scale. Return control to taxpayers. continues next column ... |
This year would be an excellent time to review Halton structure and hear opinions from candidates for Chairman. Why not assemble a citizens’ working group with representatives from each municipality – not politicians, bureaucrats, or their spokesmen – to review options for Halton structure? Then let the people decide. Gary
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