Dear Editor:
RE: Watters reflects on first year in office for all-new mayor, council, Jan. 4.
Kudos to Centre Wellington Mayor Shawn Watters for having the moxie to “bite the bullet” and approve the 7.38% tax increase for his municipality.
No doubt it was a very difficult decision and one not made lightly. But, to his point, people want service levels maintained, bridges and roads in particular to be repaired and infrastructure in good repair.
These things and the many other services required to keep a community running come at a cost and those costs have risen dramatically in recent years. The days of zero-increase or minimal budget increase is not sustainable. Nor is dipping into reserves every year a viable solution.
Undoubtedly residents are upset, and understandably so. No one wants to see these kinds of tax increases! Is it going to be a hardship for some? Absolutely! But reality is that you can’t keep “putting a bandage on it” and hope it’ll go away.
Mayor Watters deserves a lot of credit for taking his position. One can only hope his prediction that this one time “hit” will result in much reduced increases in the future.
Ted Ferguson,
Erin