ShonTron
Moderator
First, the James column:
Councillors need lesson on economy
Nov 23, 2007 04:30 AM
Royson James
Toronto city councillors do seem tragically hooked on spending needlessly and foolishly – despite constantly crying poor.
The mismanagement of the Union Station file being a recent example.
The private sector wanted to fix up the place, pay the city an annual fee and make some money off the venture. That deal fell apart. GO Transit wants to buy it, but the city isn't willing to deal. So now a city-inspired fix-up plan has hit $388 million and counting – and hopelessly dependent on cash from the federal government.
Another example. Budget committee voted Wednesday to borrow $700,000 to purchase food carts so the city can then rent them out to food vendors. Why not let the vendors get their own carts? Because the city wants to control the trade, keep entrepreneurs (conglomerates, John Filion says) from cornering the market.
Why the city has created this business to compete against restaurants is another question. But let's say it's good to be selling a variety of food from the sidewalks. Why must city hall get involved in the purchase, maintenance and distribution of the carts?
But the worst example of mis-spending is the downspout program, which council has managed to turn into a costly blunder.
Toronto wants people to disconnect the downspouts from their eavestroughs so rain is diverted to the lawn instead of into the sewer system. Relatively clean water is being funnelled into sanitary sewers along with the dirty stuff from your bathroom, and the water treatment plants have to clean up a lot more than is necessary. So the idea to disconnect the downspouts is good.
But then the city lost its way.
As an incentive to voluntarily do the right thing, the city offered to pay for the disconnect, and has done so since 1998, at a cost of $2.6 million a year. One homeowner wrote a letter to the editor last September complaining about backlogs, stretching to a year's delay.
The cost per house, at a rate of about $1,300 each, in itself is an outrageous expenditure. Any klutz can do this job at the majority of homes for $100 or less. More complex situations should cost about $400, maybe even $1,000 in extraordinary circumstances. In some cases, there is no solution so you just let them be.
Clearly, a better solution would have been to offer homeowners a rebate, a cheque, cash, $500 each in loonies, whatever – anything short of the $1,300 it costs for inspections, administration and the work done by contractors who must follow costly and uncompetitive city guidelines and policies.
There are 120,000 such homes in the older sections of the city facing a ban on the downspouts. Simple math would have told councillors that if everyone complied the cost would be prohibitive, at $156 million. But councillors then made a bad situation worse.
Staff recommended the city put a deadline of 2010 for homeowners to comply. (Good so far). And a deadline to take advantage of the city's free offer. (Also good). And end the free offer "immediately," meaning Oct. 31. (Great idea. After all, residents had 10 years to take advantage of the free offer.)
Enter councillors. They extended the deadline to Nov. 20. Several sent out mass emails encouraging residents to sign up. Some 55,000 did, almost overnight. The estimated cost has skyrocketed to $65 million. And staff's wondering where to find the money.
Councillors should be hanged, one a day, at noon, in Nathan Phillips Square. Charge admission. We'll net enough money to pay off most of our civic bills.
---
Wow. Royson James calling for a daily lynching? He has stooped to such a low now that I thought was beneath him, I think his time with the Star should be over. If he stays, I say send him to cover Joe Fiorto's "Kent's People" beat. The once mighty media critic Antonia Zerbisias is now covering flaky woman's issues.
Councillors need lesson on economy
Nov 23, 2007 04:30 AM
Royson James
Toronto city councillors do seem tragically hooked on spending needlessly and foolishly – despite constantly crying poor.
The mismanagement of the Union Station file being a recent example.
The private sector wanted to fix up the place, pay the city an annual fee and make some money off the venture. That deal fell apart. GO Transit wants to buy it, but the city isn't willing to deal. So now a city-inspired fix-up plan has hit $388 million and counting – and hopelessly dependent on cash from the federal government.
Another example. Budget committee voted Wednesday to borrow $700,000 to purchase food carts so the city can then rent them out to food vendors. Why not let the vendors get their own carts? Because the city wants to control the trade, keep entrepreneurs (conglomerates, John Filion says) from cornering the market.
Why the city has created this business to compete against restaurants is another question. But let's say it's good to be selling a variety of food from the sidewalks. Why must city hall get involved in the purchase, maintenance and distribution of the carts?
But the worst example of mis-spending is the downspout program, which council has managed to turn into a costly blunder.
Toronto wants people to disconnect the downspouts from their eavestroughs so rain is diverted to the lawn instead of into the sewer system. Relatively clean water is being funnelled into sanitary sewers along with the dirty stuff from your bathroom, and the water treatment plants have to clean up a lot more than is necessary. So the idea to disconnect the downspouts is good.
But then the city lost its way.
As an incentive to voluntarily do the right thing, the city offered to pay for the disconnect, and has done so since 1998, at a cost of $2.6 million a year. One homeowner wrote a letter to the editor last September complaining about backlogs, stretching to a year's delay.
The cost per house, at a rate of about $1,300 each, in itself is an outrageous expenditure. Any klutz can do this job at the majority of homes for $100 or less. More complex situations should cost about $400, maybe even $1,000 in extraordinary circumstances. In some cases, there is no solution so you just let them be.
Clearly, a better solution would have been to offer homeowners a rebate, a cheque, cash, $500 each in loonies, whatever – anything short of the $1,300 it costs for inspections, administration and the work done by contractors who must follow costly and uncompetitive city guidelines and policies.
There are 120,000 such homes in the older sections of the city facing a ban on the downspouts. Simple math would have told councillors that if everyone complied the cost would be prohibitive, at $156 million. But councillors then made a bad situation worse.
Staff recommended the city put a deadline of 2010 for homeowners to comply. (Good so far). And a deadline to take advantage of the city's free offer. (Also good). And end the free offer "immediately," meaning Oct. 31. (Great idea. After all, residents had 10 years to take advantage of the free offer.)
Enter councillors. They extended the deadline to Nov. 20. Several sent out mass emails encouraging residents to sign up. Some 55,000 did, almost overnight. The estimated cost has skyrocketed to $65 million. And staff's wondering where to find the money.
Councillors should be hanged, one a day, at noon, in Nathan Phillips Square. Charge admission. We'll net enough money to pay off most of our civic bills.
---
Wow. Royson James calling for a daily lynching? He has stooped to such a low now that I thought was beneath him, I think his time with the Star should be over. If he stays, I say send him to cover Joe Fiorto's "Kent's People" beat. The once mighty media critic Antonia Zerbisias is now covering flaky woman's issues.
