Big crowd, big worries: Kitchener budget
Posted Feb 16, 2011 04:38:53 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It was standing room only in council chambers at Kitchener City Hall last night, as more than a hundred people gathered to weigh in on the city’s budget.
Several delegates begged members around the horseshoe not to cut funding to things like the doctor recruitment committee and library services, as Council waits for a staff report on potential budget reductions.
Members of the arts community asked for funding to sustain the sector, while advocates of the cleanup of Victoria Park Lake pleaded with Council to keep its commitment to their project.
“It takes great leadership to be able to communicate to your constituents why some line items are worth the expense,” said Anna Maste with the Victoria Park Neighbourhood Association.
At least one taxpayer was in favour of cutting spending, and spoke out against rising costs.
“The disproportionate amount of taxes and a continual expenditure on non-essential items have me seriously considering moving out of the city,” Jason Morris told Council.
The city is considering a tax rate increase of less than 2 percent, but there are suggestions that the new stormwater fee puts that hike closer to 8 percent.
A report on potential budget reductions will go to Council at the end of the month.
