I appreciate the opportunity to provide Bedford residents with a monthly update on issues, opportunities, and events affecting or of interest to our community, by the BedfordBeacon.com.

I am happy to report that over the past few weeks residents have been exposed to a number of what I view as good news items. Unfortunately, there are also been a few unacceptable issues involving your municipal government.

On the good news front, we have seen approval for the proposed community centre, fieldhouse and artificial turf multipurpose sports field for Bedford which will serve our residents for many years to come; and, in response to public demand, a decision to make the Canada Games Skating Oval and permanent facility. Both facilities offer residents, both young and older, more opportunity to develop healthy lifestyles.

On the unacceptable side, we have seen reports released by our new Auditor General and our Chief Financial Officer on unauthorized financial support for concerts on the Common; excessive overtime by some HRM departments, individuals and entities; and unbudgeted cost increases on the Washmill interchange and new transit terminal projects.

The construction of a new high school in our community has provided us with an opportunity to address our long-time shortage of these facilities in the Bedford area, and at a significantly reduced cost over a standalone facility. On Tuesday, March 29th my Regional Council colleagues voted 20 – 1 to support a new sport, recreation, and meeting facilities for Bedford. These multi-use facilities will be built as part of our new high school, and close to our new BMO Centre 4-pad arena complex. The facilities will provide warm-up, changing, and locker room amenities for the sports field, and also provide recreation, sports, meeting, and learning space for many activities and all ages. A second gymnasium has been added to the school design, and HRM will upsize the other gymnasium provided by the province and school. This news has been well received by members of the basketball, football, soccer, dance, crafts, and seniors communities in Bedford.

HRM, after consultation and encouragement by students, staff and the performing arts community, has agreed to enhance the “cafetorium” that is to be provided by the province and school board. HRM will add functionality such as a catwalk, lighting and sound improvements in order to provide a much-needed performing arts facility for the students and our community.

All of these facilities and enhancements will be paid for through a combination of HRM funding and a modest Area Rate for Bedford and Hammonds Plains residents. This rate will not exceed $18 per $100,000 of assessment, nor exceed a maximum 12-year amortization period. Long-time Bedford area residents will recall a similar model was used in the past to enhance Basinview Community School.

I was pleased and honoured to be a member of a small committee that interviewed candidates for the position of Chief Administrative Officer for HRM. Richard Butts joined us on March 28th. He has a solid background in both the private and public sector, and has great ideas and a vision on how to move our community forward I have heard from many residents throughout Bedford and HRM that you are upset and fed-up with issues such as the escalating amount of overtime and unauthorized support for the concerts. Please be assured that I share your concern and frustration. As your Councillor, and as a member of the Audit Committee that hired and works with our new Auditor General, I am working to determine how these happened and how to prevent them from happening again. Also, to reiterate my position, I will not comment on the “concert scandal” as I am waiting for the report from Auditor General, Larry Munroe, which is expected in early May. I think we need clarity and more facts before we reach conclusions or take any further action.

Looking ahead, the budget review and debate will begin during the last week of April. I have heard you loudly and clearly since being elected as your representative on council that you are tired of general tax rate and tax increases. I will continue to voice your concerns to my council colleagues and HRM staff.

I hear regularly that you are pleased by the new infrastructure and facilities in Bedford and HRM, but you want to see further cost cuts to the operations budget of the municipality. I hear comments such as “when you add something, HRM must determine also what you can take out.” You may recall that I did not vote for last year’s increase to the general tax rate. I supported the more than $30M in cost cutting undertaken, but I could not support the budget because an additional cut of $3M (only an additional 1% of our overall budget) would have eliminated the need for an increase in the general tax rate last year. I thought this was both achievable and desirable. What an accomplishment that would have been, in a year that saw council invest in our future with a new central library, 4-pad arena, 15 new buses and a new transit garage!

As always, I welcome your concerns and ideas. I can be reached by telephone at 229-6385 or by email at outhitt@halifax.ca.

 

 

 

Source: http://www.bedfordbeacon.com/straight-talk-from-councillor-tim-outhit