Take Back Control of Your Tax Dollars

Good Monday morning Regina!!

UPDATE (February 26, 2014):

This developing story is but one of the many reasons why this City Council and Senior Administration need to be investigated to ensure they are truly looking out for the best interests of all taxpayers - not just their construction, developer and realtor friends in the industry. I was very proud to be joined last night by a shining example of the kinds of people that I stand up for, and I feel this City Council has truly lost touch with reality, and with people like those that I proudly represent. So much, in fact, that they seem to think it's "okay" to force residents to pay $10,000 over 10 years (including interest) to fix infrastructure that should be already included in the taxes they pay (ridiculous amounts of by the way).

I was also very pleased to get to speak with one of the gentlemen in this story, and he has been paying taxes to the City for 45 years, and not once has his street ever seen a major repaving. Not once. This, to me, is attrocious and absolutely unacceptable. Add to that the fact you have a City Administration who are basically tying his hands and forcing him to eat a $10,000 (unanticipated) bill, and surely you can see why this issue is a very serious one. For the average taxpayer, this is a kick in the teeth considering they've been paying into the coffers now for decades, and for what? For the City, it's a whopping half a million bucks on a half a billion dollar budget. If the City has such a piss poor system that they could not budget for obviously required infrastructure maintenance every 20-30 years, then that's the City's problem, not the taxpayers.

Last night, I was very happy to present an "alternative" budget. Regardless of your personal opinion of me, the reality is, there are options. I chose to cut Police and Fire budgets, as they are ridiculously inflated at the top with a bloated administration. 130% increases year to year are simply unacceptable for administrative costs, and perhaps the RPS needs to go back to the drawing board if they think this should be acceptable by you and me, the taxpayers.

Finally this evening, I invite you all to join me in demanding a public inquiry and audit to be performed on the City of Regina, and municipalities throughout Saskatchewan. If the audits find nothing, then great, you can have more confidence in your municipal governments. But, if they find what many suspect they will find, then you will finally see some heads rolling and taxes and housing prices subsiding due to a removal of those in an obvious Conflict of Interest situation in positions of power at City Hall. This happened in Calgary, and it's happening right now before your very eyes in Regina. Don't turn a blind eye to it, DO SOMETHING about it. It all starts with one person.

ATTENTION REGINA TAXPAYERS:

After the 7 hour Budget Meeting that really resulted in no material changes to the proposed 7% tax increase, I've heard from many that it's time to demand public accountability from our elected - and non-elected - City Officials.

For those that want a new Council and Mayor, I encourage you to sign the petition to force a public inquiry and audit into the goings on at City Hall. If there is nothing to hide, then there is nothing for them to worry about. But, chances are very good that this will result in a mass upheaval at City Hall, and you will no doubt see some resignations, if not criminal charges, as a result.

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ORIGINAL POST:
Tonight, you will be witness to one of the worst examples of fascism in recent memory. 

What our elected officials like to refer to as "Democracy" is anything but. Tonight, you will be witness to history in the making. What has been proposed as a 7% Property Tax Increase, and a (needless) 8% Utility Rate increase will be debated amongst a panel of self-interested, entitled, elitist, blowhards by the names of Fougere, Hincks, Flegel and Murray - to name but a few. You will notice that there are many delegations scheduled to speak tonight, many of whom are against such a ridiculously high increase. Some - who coincidentally share the visions of the self-entitled blowhards - have been allowed to promote their organizations with complete booklets of (unrelated) information. While others have been censored and silenced for wanting to simply express their viewpoints that just happen to differ from those of our current City Council.

In the end, you will see an increase to your tax bills. How much will it be? My bets are around the 4-5% mark. If it were my choice? A big fat zero. Not because our costs aren't going up, but because the taxpayers have been raked over the coals once too often by this fascist regime that only looks out for the interests of developers and their best friends in the Construction and Real Estate industry. It's time for City Hall to remember who truly pays their salaries, and begin answering to individual taxpayers and not just the almighty corporate buck.

Beginning tonight, you have a chance to demand accountability and transparency of those that manipulated the 2012 Municipal Election in such a way as to gain ultimate control of the dollars that you and I pay to them.  

We entrust them with control of hundreds of millions of our dollars. 

Accountable to no one but you and I. 

This is why they are so afraid of when people like myself dare to stand up and question their actions, because if there are enough people like myself standing up and asking those questions, then they might finally have to open their books. Open all of the hidden secrets that they have just locked down even tighter with their most recent security enhancements.

Tonight - instead of using pitchforks and torches, take back control of your City by the peaceful means in which we are all known to abide by. Take control through the legal avenues that you and I, the taxpayers, have, and sign the petition to DEMAND a Public Inquiry and Audit be performed. It's truly unfortunate that anyone has to go to this extent just to get true Accountability from those that we pay the salaries of, but if that's the way they want to play it, so be it.

GAME ON.