Citizens of Thunder Bay must be happy or shy about the city’s 2010 operating budget says a city councillor.
Coun. Aldo Ruberto said he’s disappointed that only one person made a deputation during the city’s post-budget public consultation meeting Tuesday night. Ruberto said city council wants to hear concerns from the public. During his time in office, Ruberto said the most people he’s ever seen speak at a consultation is around five even though hundreds will discuss tax and budget issues with him privately.
"It means that either people are extremely happy and there are no complaints or a lot of people that are in coffee shops don’t want to show up and publicly say what’s on their minds," Ruberto said. "If we don’t get people coming forward for these kind of opportunities it is unfortunate."
From word-of-mouth encouragement to radio and newspaper advertisements, Ruberto said the city has been doing whatever it can to get the public out to meetings so council can get input.
"I don’t know what else we can do," Ruberto said. "But this also tells me there are a lot of happy people out there."
Henry Wojak was the lone speaker at the meeting, which lasted under 20 minutes. He said council needs to trim the 2010 operating budget from a 1.79 per cent tax increase to zero. Wojak said taxpayers in Thunder Bay are paying too much and that the city needs to stop seeing citizens as a "bottomless well to draw from". Wojak said the city needs to start by trimming the police and fire department budgets.
"Someone needs to start reigning in the largess of the public sector," said Wojak.
