Proposed 7.4% tax hike leaves Mississauga mayor sounding desperate

[twotterdhc6]

Mississauga wants to be treated like a city but refuses to create the revenue generating programs that a city uses but they want to spend the way a city does. Someone posted this on the Mississauga news website and they're completely right.

This is something that the city wants, but currently it needs special powers granted by the province to enact something like the land transfer tax and vehicle registraion fee that Toronto has/had.

I agree about the incompentence though, and no doubt council and mayor have become totally complacent with the all the development money flowing into the reserve fund over the decades. I should consider getting the hell out of this monster suburb before the real s***storm starts

[joeyjoejoe]

What is the money being used for?
See here
http://www.mississauga.ca/portal/cityhall/budgetbook

and
http://www.mississauga.ca/file/COM/2...ramSummary.pdf

Interesting that $132M out of $574M budget goes to Mississauga Transit!!!!
Labour costs are $104M
Recreation and Parks = $90M of which about $60 is labour

Fire and emergency services = $85M of which $72M is for labour

A big whack of residential property tax goes to region of Peel where 25% gets spent on education

Well now... this seems like an easy fix. Just get rid of the buses. It's a well known fact that everyone drives in Mississauga.

[confused]

oh miserysauga

[cheapmeister]

Well you got your fat tax increase, suckers!

MIRANET had pointed out that Mississauga, in 2010, had 376 staff on the so-called “sunshine list” of public-sector employees earning over $100,000, more than 10 per cent of its full-time complement.

Wow!

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/...e?bn=1#article

[MrKap]

They should just hire a few people to go around and fine people for littering and dumping. They would earn their wages x3 and cut taxes in the process. More bylaw officers. Not more taxes.

(I don't really know... just trying to contribute)

[Angela V]

Well now... this seems like an easy fix. Just get rid of the buses. It's a well known fact that everyone drives in Mississauga.

Okay so it's been 2 years since I lived there but I did live there for about 6 years and used transit a lot. Those buses weren't empty. I lived in the GTA area and used Toronto Transit for a lot of years too. Both systems were crowded during peek hours and not so crowded during non peek hours. I didn't seem much of a difference at all but there's certainly a LOT of people who do use the Transit systems in Mississauga and Toronto. Some of us CAN'T afford two cars, some of us therefore NEED the transit system.

[naxos98]

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/...e?bn=1#article

Also from the same article.

2011 CITY COUNCILLOR SALARIES IN CANADA

Mississauga* $131,080

Brampton* $117,326

Calgary $102,200

Toronto $99,620

Halifax $72,357

Hamilton $67,636

Vancouver $63,610

Edmonton $63,610

Its no surprise Mississauga is in this mess. Still too many people who have blinders on, thinking Hazel has been doing a good job. Ask any person why they like Hazel and they will tell you about the years of no property tax increases. Well people, here is your present from the Mayor.

They kept on spending as the money rolled in from development charges, and now that the city is built up, no more development charges, so lets tax the homeowners. I have a friend in the Finance department who predicted this years ago, as he could see this happening. Fees were going to run out and city council wasn't doing anything to plan for it.

[tsat]

meh

Peel police should just set up radar traps everywhere and start fining for everything... If they booked all the driving violations in brampton they'd be the richest municipality around.

[dutchca]

meh

Peel police should just set up radar traps everywhere and start fining for everything... If they booked all the driving violations in brampton they'd be the richest municipality around.

Except they wouldn't be able to collect any of it as everyone would take the tickets to court.....

[samberkun]

and this is after the city has NO transit and expects its citizens to piggy back off the TTC that T.O has to pay for

[Mattones]

Suckers!

Glad my city does not have transit.

[particleman]

Wow. If 10% city's staff are on the Sunshine list, something is seriously messed up. As someone who only recently moved to the city, most of the facilities and services are below par compared to what I've seen elsewhere. The libraries and community centres are few and far between, not to mention old and outdated.

The public transit certainly isn't anything to write home about. The only service that I like is the garbage pickup, which allows 2 bags (as compared to one in many municipalities), and regular pickups of old furniture without needing appointments.

[hi-tech]

Uhh, which city has better facilities than Mississauga?

[flashy_mcflash]

Uhh, which city has better facilities than Mississauga?

You're seriously trying to make the argument that Mississauga's facilities and services approach those of Toronto and other municipalities? I feel bad for you son.

[twotterdhc6]

and this is after the city has NO transit and expects its citizens to piggy back off the TTC that T.O has to pay for

What are you talking about?!
How does Mississauga Transit "piggy back off the TTC"?