Open letter to Whitehorse Mayor Dan Curtis and councillors:
First of all, congratulations to all those elected. You now have the important task of controlling escalating costs and stopping the past 10 year trend of increased taxation and utility rates. Most of you ran on a platform of no tax increases or at the very least, fiscal restraint.
The Utilities Consumers’ Group would like to suggest the following for the 2013 operations and maintenance budget:
1. No increase in taxation and utility rates, as 10 years of prior increases is not sustainable management;
2. Stop using the smokescreen that Whitehorse is the lowest taxed city in the country as your rationale for increases; and
3. Control costs and eliminate waste. One idea would be to conduct a waste audit (by internal management teams, not new friendly consultant contracts, which is indeed one essential cost-cutting measure in itself).
Evaluate all costs in all departments to find where escalating costs have taken place and determine how to eliminate or minimize. You can start with the gut feelings of each council member (i.e. where each of you would like to see belt tightening).
Then, ask employees where they could control costs, or better yet cut costs by eliminating waste. Both you and I might be surprised!
Roger Rondeau
Utilities Consumers’ Group