Taxpayers let council have it

BY ANDY BLATCHFORD

andy.blatchford@transcontinental.ca



Beaconsfield invited taxpayers to weigh in on the city’s 2007 preliminary budget and council got the participation it asked for on Monday.

Following uproar over property tax increases that reached above 30 per cent this year — after Beaconsfield’s de-merger from Montreal — council decided to look to its population for help with budget decisions.

On Monday, the city hosted four public hearings from 2 to 9 p.m. for residents and representatives from local associations and businesses to offer their opinions. The first of the city hall sessions brought strong objections to the proposed budget from several Beaconsfield organizations.

‘Unacceptable’: citizens association

Gary Wells of the Beaconsfield Citizens Association (BCA) told Mayor Bob Benedetti and city finance and management committee members Karen Messier and Roy Baird that the preliminary budget, which calls for a three-per-cent tax increase, is “unacceptable.�

“Beaconsfield council and administration must recognize that Beaconsfield residents are still extremely frustrated with the level of taxes and continue to ask for strong innovative leadership in managing Beaconsfield’s finances,� Wells read from a document prepared by the BCA.

In a brief submitted to council in March, the BCA asked for a three-per-cent reduction in taxes for 2007, Wells said.

He said the 152-member association is seeking a long-term plan, prepared with the input of citizens and outside experts.

BCA also asked for a smaller permanent staff in Beaconsfield, from its current total of 92 down to its pre-merger of count of 85.

Wells highlighted the 13-per-cent increase for council salaries proposed for next year.

“Any increases in salaries must be conditional on reducing expenses and correspondingly reducing taxes for citizens,� he read from the document.

Wells said the city’s overall recreation and leisure budget for 2007 is “disproportionately high.� One BCA recommendation includes cutting back on the number of outdoor skating rinks, from 17 to eight or even six. In addition to its agreement with Kirkland, Beaconsfield should foster intermunicipal library partnerships with neighbouring cities, the document stated.

User-fee opposition

Robert Dods, president of Beaconsfield Men’s Slow-Pitch League (BMSP), questioned the budget’s new user fees for the city’s outdoor fields.

According to a letter sent to BMSP from the city, next year the league will be charged $1,080. The total includes 78 per cent of the overall cost (based on the league’s usage) for “field markings and lining, electricity, field maintenance, grass cutting and services.�

In addition, the league has been billed to pay $3,000 over three years in “special charges� for outfield netting at Christmas Park.

“Since three-quarters of our members are currently Beaconsfield residents and pay, on average, well over $3,000 in property taxes alone, we feel that this further assessment for field user fees is, in essence, double taxation,� he told the committee. “We are vehemently opposed to this field user fee.�

He said the league’s players often take care of field maintenance and mark lines on the baseball diamonds, not city employees. In addition, BMSP considers grass cutting and lights as necessities for all park users, Dods said.

“The costs are in question, the items are not well identified and have not been validated or substantiated,� he said.

Lawn bowling grant cut

John Wilson of the Beaconsfield Lawn Bowling Club argued for the committee to reconsider the proposed reduction to the city’s annual grant of $8,000 to $5,000 for greens maintenance. He said Beaconsfield should phase in the cut over three years to ease the impact.

Following the loss of the club’s longtime greens keeper, costs soared from $16,000 in 2003 to $25,000 in 2005, Wilson said. He estimates that 80 to 90 per cent of the club’s membership is seniors. It would be difficult for members, many of whom are on fixed incomes, to absorb the added costs, he said.

“Lawn bowling is one of the few outdoor sports activities that can be enjoyed by our seniors,� Wilson said, adding the game encourages a healthy lifestyle. “We feel that we offer a valuable service.�