Dear Editor:
I would like to take this opportunity to thank the residents of Bradford for their continued support, as well as, address the budget scenario that played out at the council meeting held January 21, 2020.
I am passionate about the future of our community, and unintentionally, addressed a group in a manner that I regret, and truly apologize for. No disrespect was intended.
In hindsight, I should have requested that council take back the request to ensure further due diligence around the budget decision (given that much time and effort had already been spent arriving at the overall assessment coupled with our understanding of the ultimate impact of that decision). For this oversight, I also apologize to the residents of this community, who deserve proper due diligence from council when making tough decisions that impact the whole community.
I believe I speak for most of us when I say that we all want to pay the least amount of taxes possible. I also want to assure you that I always seek (with the support of council) the best community value for those hard earned dollars. Considerable experience on council has proven to me that this is truly a balancing act. i.e. ensuring appropriate and adequate services are delivered (based on the needs and wants of the residents), ensuring that the budget aligns with the strategic plan, that the dollars required are in line with the cost of living as well as wages, that we are not leaving a huge burden for future generations, etc.
I want to assure residents that arriving at the overall tax assessment, is a very involved process. This process considers a number of very important factors to ensure minimal impact to rate payers, measured against service level expectations and requirements. I would be happy to outline the process in greater detail if there is interest from the community.
In closing, I would like to express my appreciation for the opportunity to continue to serve our community of BWG, on council as well as in other capacities. The newly formed Rate Payers Association is a benefit in the call for working within an accountable framework.
Going forward, transparency and fact driven decision making, will help us continue building an even better Bradford West Gwillimbury.
Respectfully,
James Leduc, Deputy Mayor
