By the time you read this, we’ll be less than one week away from the results of the 2022 municipal election being announced.
If attendance at any of the local all-candidates meetings is any indication, residents are very interested in this election.
And that’s a good thing.
Every municipality has its own major issues, ranging from homelessness to economic development, shared services agreements to infrastructure deficits. One local municipality, South Bruce, has seen the Nuclear Waste Management Organization’s proposed deep geological repository take centre stage during the campaign period.
However, as many will point out, every election is about more than one issue.
Services, infrastructure needs, recreation programs and development are just a few of what every council, no matter if you’re in Perth, Huron or Bruce, has to deal with.
All of those needs – what most of us consider to be basic services – are funded through tax dollars.
In the past, I’ve had people tell me they don’t vote in municipal elections because “the system is broken,” “what has council ever done for me?” or “these guys don’t do jack squat.”
Your tax bill would state otherwise.
A large majority of your property tax, roughly 88 per cent, goes to municipal and regional levels of government. In our case, that means the municipality and county you live in.
Those dollars are what pave local roads, operate local arenas and landfills, fund social services, and pay for policing and fire protection.
Every year, every municipality uses a document to help guide them in their decision making when it comes to these services and programs.
It’s called the municipal budget.
For those of you unfamiliar with the municipal budget process – and judging by attendance at past budget meetings, I’d say the majority of residents fall into this category – each department brings its “wish list” to senior management around this time of year. These wish lists will include capital projects – replacing that broken bridge, fixing a deteriorating road, new ice plant for the arena, etc. – with an estimated price tag on each item.
Senior staff at some municipalities are really good about making the budget process easy for council. For example, there’s no way a new arena will be built using just local tax dollars, so don’t even bother bringing that to council for consideration. Or if the wish lists add up to a 15 or 20 per cent property tax increase, senior staff will tell departments to go back to the drawing board.
Other municipalities will bring the wish list as is, provide a shocking number for a potential tax increase, and prolong the process.
Regardless of how each municipality decides to handle the budget process, council considers the proposed budget and how to best spend those tax dollars.
Tax dollars you provide through your property taxes.
Circling back to my earlier point, despite your property tax being one of the biggest bills you pay each year, very few, if any, residents care about the municipal budget process.
When I was a reporter for the Minto Express, I covered a budget open house at the Town of Minto municipal office. Including myself and a reporter from the Wellington Advertiser, there were four people in attendance that year.
Four.
I made a comment to Mayor George Bridge about the poor turnout that day, and his response shocked me.
“Well, it’s one more person than last year, so that’s pretty good.”
With the interest shown by residents during the election campaign – capacity crowds at all-candidates meetings, for example – wouldn’t it be great if this carried over to the municipal budget process?
I think it would.
It would be great if council chambers were at capacity for budget meetings, and open houses had to be held at community halls because the council chambers are too small to accommodate the number of residents in attendance.
Everyone, this writer included, complains about their taxes each year. Maybe it’s time we all do something about it and stay interested in municipal politics after Oct. 24.
Your wallet may thank you later.
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Mike Wilson is the editor of Midwestern Newspapers. He is one of the few people who attend his local municipality’s budget open house each year, and it isn’t because of the free snacks. Comments and feedback are welcome at mwilson@midwesternnewspapers.com.
