It seems that some councillors in the Township of Muskoka Lakes found the draft budget presented May 7 to be a “bare bones” budget. It is an eight per cent increase levy to levy.

When a delegation concerned with the 2007 budget addressed council last year with their concerns, a councillor told them that council was doing what it was elected to do. This council then overspent last year’s budget goal.

It seems that council forgot to include three-quarters or a million dollars of expenses in the budget. That no one noticed this at the budget presentation might be excusable due to general budget pressure, excitement and all the perks that were being included for councillors. However, didn’t anyone pick up on that expense as the monthly financial reports comparing budget to actual were presented?

Council bought the Duke house when it wasn’t even in the budget. Councillors approved buying a fire boat that would not fit in the boathouse. The 2006 budget for council expenses was $257,100.

The budget for 2008 council expense is $360,962. The current debt of $1,650,000 will increase this year by an additional $1,720,000. Council ignored the community concerns for the Walker’s Point fire hall site until it was too late to correct.

Is this indeed what they were elected to do? Some of us have reason to wonder.

It has been an auditor-recommended goal to keep reserves at no less than 80 per cent of the levy. The future plans for the next three years include dropping that reserve to 60 to 65 per cent, and adding $1,720,000 to the debt this year. The 2007 debenture was not all used as budgeted and the current plan is to divert it to other “wants”, not reduce this amount. Is this different than adding to the debenture that we were assured would not happen?

Concerns and changes that have occurred over the past year would indicate that it would be wise to delay budget approval until after the audit has been received; then council would be dealing with the effects of the past year.

Muskoka Lakes has always been a financially stable municipality and now we are on a path that includes debt and deterioration of the reserves and thus our financial stability. Muskoka Lakes councillors and leadership have in the past worked to have the respect of the district and their constituents, not to be the newspaper cartoon entertainment on a regular basis.

It is time to cut expenses.

Adele Fairfield

Township of Muskoka Lakes