More service cuts for Kearney

“Perhaps the time has come where we can’t do the services we used to do” - KEARNEY MAYOR PAUL TOMLINSON

The above is a quote taken from the Almaguin News article of November 15, 2012, “Management job remains unfilled”. It seems that Budget Coordinator Councillor Wadsworth and Mayor Paul Tomlinson, faced with huge operational deficits in 2011 and 2012, are now pondering the possibility of not replacing the Operations Manager, a vacancy left by Dean Hall.

As you have been reading in the Almaguin News and on the Concerned Citizens of Kearney Blog, Tomlinson and the Proudfoot Four have boxed themselves into a corner with nowhere to run or hide. They reduced the property tax rate in 2011 and 2012 to the point the Town does not have enough revenue to meet its operational obligations. For 2011 and 2012, the solution has been to take the shortfall out of Reserves or cut the much needed roads reconstruction program.

Well, 2013 is looming and the Town’s revenues are still falling short of meeting operational needs, and the Reserves are just about gone. So now, Tomlinson and Wadsworth have few options still open to them; raise taxes or cut services.

Raising taxes would be an open admission that this council has deliberately put this Town into a financial hole to “cut taxes at any cost”. Tomlinson and Wadsworth don’t want to let the tax cut promise go just yet so they are now considering further cuts to services. Yes, further cuts. The nice heated washrooms, built by the Kearney Lions Club) at Lions Park are closed to save money. In their place are 2 lovely yellow and purple porta-potties, also financed by the Kearney Lions Club. Probably doen’t matter because there is nobody to look after the rink this winter.

Our beautiful walking trails are strewn with fallen trees and nobody to clean them up. Our volunteers have walked away in disgust from economic development, town beautification, and good roads management. Our roads are deteriorating at a rapid rate and we now have residents billing the Town for lost business and safety violations.

The sidewalks on Main Street will see another winter without snow removal. Getting property owners to clear in front of their properties turned out to be illegal and it is just a matter of time when someone takes a serious fall and the town is faced with a huge lawsuit.

The only thing Kearney now has in abundance is stupidity. We still have a $100,000+/year Chief Building Official (CBO) who continues his ludicrous and illegitimate septic inspection program in hope of nailing some poor souls for Building Code violations. What will he do this winter when sceptics are covered with snow and he will have no excuse to trespass? Of course, there are those businesses in Kearney that are trying to open or expand and the CBO has been very diligent in finding ways to prevent that.

Mayor Tomlinson and Councillors swore a Declaration of Office upon taking Office in 2010 to “truly, faithfully, and impartially exercise this office to the best of my knowledge and ability” and “I will disclose any pecuniary interest, direct or indirect in accordance with the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act”. This is so blatantly laughable if it wasn’t so tragic. Mayor Tomlinson has been asked by his own council to resign. Mayor Tomlinson has been censured by his own Council.

Recently we have seen many Mayors in Canada forced to vacate their Offices or they are being investigated for misconduct. Unfortunately, the Town of Kearney does not rank with urban misconducts for media attention, but even then our illustrious Mayor has managed to make the CANADA Section of the Toronto Star with his buffoonery.

Council can’t force Tomlinson out of Office, but at least Council can shut the Mayor up and get rid of our huge CBO cost burden. Please Council, do the right thing as you promised.