Letter to the Editor
Editor,
So, apparently in Meaford, the inmates really do run the asylum. After all the grumbling and complaining by council, it sounds as though senior staff will NOT be held accountable for budget increases above the target.
Perhaps for once this council would like to do their job, which is to govern, not simply babysit. Learn how to crack the whip; let the department managers know how much they can spend and ask for input how this will happen, rather than tolerate excuses as to why it won’t. Taxpayers in one of the highest taxed municipalities in the area are getting tired of spending money on foolishness. I’d be happy to deliver a box of sharp pencils to council chambers, and assist other business owners in teaching this municipality how to use them.
Currently, this council is spending money we don’t have on a library; a nice addition to the area, but at the moment, not a necessity. Our roads department seems to be confused as to their service levels. This municipality is NOT the county, yet we have a small maintenance crew working late into the night every night. Why? Meaford’s traffic count isn’t high enough to justify this. I’ve watched snowplows backtrack over the same areas; I’ve seen graders (this fall) pass over three sideroads, grading select sections 2-300 feet long. If you’re going to pass both directions on these roads, grade the damn roads, otherwise, stop throwing away money and leave the equipment parked. A number of years ago, I watched a township truck and grader building the driveway into the Grandma Lambe’s store on Hwy 6. Care to tell me what revenue came in from that, and why are we competing with area contractors?
As has been the case with every municipality since amalgamations, the intended goal of efficiency has been lost. Every municipality in the area now has a staff far larger than the combined staff numbers before amalgamation. This township now owns more pickup trucks than do some car dealers. We are a municipality, not an employment agency, a fact that has been lost.
I’ve heard it said that you get what you pay for. Not here, it seems, where the reality is to pay more for the same sub-standard results. That needs to change.
Bill Cameron, Bognor
