NEW ARENA NORTH PERTH -SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT

AS SEEN IN THE STRATFORD BEACON HERALD AND THE LISTOWEL BANNER

Stop the Arena Discussion
When is the Council of North Perth going to send a message to the Arena Committee with respect to understanding basic financial principles? This committee needs to be told if you don’t have the money you can’t spend it. But wait, all they have to do is keeping taxing the living hell out of us. There needs to be a taxpayer revolt or better yet, a clear direction to council to terminate this committee and it’s mandate.
The issue of the a new arena keeps coming to the forefront and various studies keeping costing us money when we know;
· We don’t need it
· We can’t afford it
· We can’t afford to maintain it.
And who is this proposed arena for? Council’s “New Complex Committee” believes they need it for the Listowel Cyclones .
North Perth is obviously too embarrassed to post their 2010 financial statements on the municipal website but based on the Financial Information Return (mandatory reporting required by the Provincial Government), North Perth now owes over $20,000,000. Yes, that is right folks 20 million dollars in short and long term debt. They only tax $7.5M annually and revenue sources like government grants are becoming as extinct as the dinosaurs. And if 2010 was less than stellar financial performance you can bet 2011 will be worse.
Let’s get this straight, the new arena is going to cost $17M plus pushing our debt and interest payments to their absolute maximum. This committee, is looking to us as taxpayers to pay the bill for something we as citizens will likely use once or twice a year or probably never. We have already built a Taj Mahal Fire Hall, new renovations to the municipal offices and now a new arena? If the existing arena needs fixing, then fix it!
The recent estimate is that it will only take $3M update our existing facility extending it useful life by15 to 20 years. It make me wonder how did we let the building and it’s facilities get in such poor condition. It makes me wonder if this was not scheme to force a new super facility onto the taxpayers?
What the community should be concerned about are the principles of transparency and accountability in a public meeting/forum not within a questionnaire that manipulates the public true feelings into distinct categories that fits the agenda of the New Complex Committee.
I seen have plenty of waste in our community over the past 5 years, but this is one project that this community doesn’t need and it can be stopped now. Council, look at your financial position and make a rational decision and terminate the discussion, planning or consultant report and this “runaway committee with respect to building a new arena.
Ron Scott