City administration is telling council that any delays in the development of River Landing "will have a significant and potentially permanent impact on the mill rate." Anyone surprised?
During the election campaign six councillors committed not to increase the mill rate beyond the rate of inflation. The test of truth is on the horizon.
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What amazes me about the administrations statement is that they think going back to the proposal stage will somehow take the pressure off. This will only delay getting any tax money from this property. I hope those writing to the SP for a sober second look are willing to pick up the tab for the forth and fifth look, but I doubt they even pay taxes.
ReplyDeleteI wondered the same thing when I read this am's paper. If you can believe what the reporter stated to be true (you never now) I am surprised. How can one single piece of land in a city this size have an impact on the milrate. Seems to me something smells very fishy
ReplyDeleteI like River Landing, although I am always a little surprised how much of it is concrete instead of park-like. But no one has explained to me why council just kept shovelling dollars into the project as it kept snowballing way more than its original projected cost. When it's not your own money, I guess it is ok to just keep approving overage over overage.
ReplyDeleteOne great thing that did come out of the largess was the lights on the Victoria Bridge. When anything goes wrong on council at all, there is always a letter to the editor of the Star Phoenix that references them. That money was well spent as comic relief for the citizens. ;-)
What perplexes me is the statement that a deviation from the plan of 2004 will create this impact. The plan was already deviated by over expenditure over the last several years. Like it or not something must be built and/or services get cut and mil rates go up.
ReplyDeleteThe city has been as fiscally irresponsible as the provinicial government. When will these yahoos understand that a boom is ultimately going to be followed by a bust. Rather then managing our resources in a fiscally prudent manner, they spend like thieves.
ReplyDeleteMurray Mandryk's article clearly articulates the arrogance of the provincial government over its mishandling of our economy.
I did not support the Sask Party but I thought Brad Wall was doing a good job & would likely retain power for some time. But he just blew it. And they cant place the blame on the recession. It was their total lack of foresight and planning. What genius would base revenue projections & expenditure plans on peak potash prices!!
Brad Wall's government has essentially proven the NDP right in their assertion that its Conservative Governments in this province that have been fiscally irresponsible and mired us in debt. As Mandryk notes, we found ourselves in the same financial mess last time Conservatives were in power & it was the NDP that turned it around. Dont think the voters dont remember that. You can bet the NDP will capitalize on this & rightfully so...
Well done Mr. Wall, you just handed Lingenfelter the keys to government next election.
Political Junkie..
ReplyDeleteMandryk didn't give any suggestions as to what he would have done any better other than indicate nurses should never have been given a raise. Sure hope they are listening when it comes to voting for their brethren the NDP. I don't like what has happened but I'm not throwing out the baby with the bathwater. If this is as bad as it gets the Wall government will indeed reap the rewards of moving forward in many areas. Road construction, wait times in health care, property tax reductions, number of nurses in this province, increases in policing... I could go on and on. Or we could just sit on our hands and vote the NDP back in and get taxed to death. What I want to see is how they deal with the issue and what I heard putting taxes up isn't going to be in the cards. Oh and so although the NDP rip the SaskParty for a deficit they still want everything to go full bore.
PJ tell us what you would have put a stop too to make up a Billion Dollars in lost Revenue?
I think the point is that there should never have been a loss of a billion dollars in revenue.
ReplyDeleteI am a firm Sask Party supporter and even I becoming more perplexed by what happened. This was simply poor management. I would be akin to a wage earner forecasting their yearly earnings based on one pay period where they worked excessive overtime. Or getting a bonus through work and basing your budget on that.
Granted the actual revenue on potash is at a level that no one could ever had anticipated (even the doom and gloom NDP as they may claim). However, there should have been a happy medium found. I would've much rather seen an anticipated surplus from low forecasts than a anticipated debt due to high forecasts.
Still not enough to get me to vote for the NDP next election, Sask Party's term is marked by much more than this single issue. For the first time in my life it feels as though there is hope for this Province to progress
I wasnt touting the NDP, I was simply musing that given the deficit situation, they have given the NDP plenty to work with. You are fooling yourself if you think voters wont punish them for their irresponsible fiscal planning. If this is as bad as it gets...you must be saying that in jest? An historically high deficit isnt something to trivialize. We will be paying for that for many years to come. I dont care if you are a supporter or not, you should hold your Government accountable...not put your head in the sand.
ReplyDeleteAnd no we couldnt have forecasted such a decline in potash sales revenues.
However, anyone with a brain could foresee the decline in prices..its inevitable when you reach record highs & we assume our leaders will budget accordingly.
I agree with anon above, there should be a happy medium. I predict the Sask Party will bemoan the fact they didnt next election.
The mill rate would potentially go up if Parcel Y isn't off the ground soon because the City is banking on future land sales at River Landing for the project to break even.
ReplyDeleteOf course, if the crown jewel of River Landing is sufficently delayed or isn't built the value of the other land (and the taxation derived from their development, including Parcel Y) isn't collected or is, at least, greatly diminished.
By spending money today (re: 82 million from Fed/Prov/City accounts) and balancing the books on land sales tomorrow, the City Admin has (potentially) left the taxpayers holding the purse.
I believe it was Councillor Paulsen who critized this book balancing in the August meeting when the total price tag of River Landing became public knowledge - the majority of council disagreed at that time.
owlsandroosters.blogspot.com found evidence of a personal relationship between Lobsinger and Atchison, as Lobsinger cc'd an e-mail intended for the city clerk and the mayor's office to Atch's home e-mail address.
ReplyDeleteThis means the two may be having communications re: River Landing that are not on the public record.
This just gets more pathetic all the time. Is it too much to ask for prudent planning???
Anon above, how do you take Lobsinger having Atch's home email and speculate, and then publicly post, that it is evidence of some sort of shady dealing? Get a life.
ReplyDeleteI'm not the biggest Atch fan around but that is stooping to the gutter to drag a man's name through dirt based on nothing. I have the personal email account of several of my business contacts, does this mean that I am involved in shady operations with them? I even have some of their personal numbers in my phone.
You are a disgrace
haha what an idiot that posted about Atch's email address. First off where is the proof it went to his home? The only evidence is how the contact was named in the sender's contact file.
ReplyDeleteQuotes from the article:
This may indicate not only a business relationship but a personal one as well. (it may? nice speculation)
This could be perceived by some as inappropriate and perhaps even unethical. (it could be perceived? by who his critics?)
Who gave the developer Atchison’s home email address? Was it the mayor himself?
Do any other developers have the mayor’s home email address? If so, who are they and do they correspond with him?
What hack job reporting with one simple intended goal... to slander someone's name.
owls and roosters is one of the most far fetched left wing blogs used to slander anyone with opposing views. for enlightened readers it is simply good laughing material.
ReplyDeleteany form of extremism is dangerous, and owlsandrosters is an extremist site
I just browsed the owlsandroosters site and while I don't think it is an extremist site, it clearly is one of the more biased sites around. I would hope that people reading it don't take what is said as fact, though sadly I think many do (as witnessed by earlier post citing its facts).
ReplyDeleteFor those who trumpet the site I ask, is there one piece of criticism directed at the left-wing parties? politicians? or groups? I think it is safe to say that neither political spectrum is filled with saints, while the Mistress has a certain right-wing flair to here posts at least she has the gall to question those sharing her views. I cannot believe a political website like owlsandroosters who has so much to say about politics has not found one thing to criticize any person, party or group who is left leaning. Poor reporting indeed and as one anon said almost comical for a laugh
You'd think they'd wait for the $4 million sale to go through before blowing $80 million on the surrounding park...
ReplyDeletenow add in 1,000's of layoffs in Saskatoon area, a near record $1 Billion second half of the year provincial deficit and... its starting to look more like Sask A Bust these days...
Don't blame me I didn't vote for Atch.
ReplyDelete