Editor,

Budget meetings started on November 17. To my surprise, after only two meetings, council came up with a budget increase of two per cent along with a two per cent increase for water and no increase for sewer. But if you thought we taxpayers could call it a game, think again. We were only in the first period of the game.

The next period came on Monday night, November 23, with the introduction of the budget enhancement report summary, which said, in effect, that the CAO had a wish list of items totaling $25,063.00, which had been left out of the original budget and should now be considered because the mayor and one councillor had not attended the second budget meeting. With one councillor still absent, what followed, I can only describe as an embarrassment.

When we start talking about talking about whether to spend money on a golf course, a youth coordinator or the fire department, I am sorry Madame Mayor and Deputy Mayor but the fire department gets my vote hands down for the simple fact that the fire department is an essential service.

Why did the fire department's budget come in at plus two per cent and the parks and trail come in at plus 13 per cent and CAO and Clerks office in at plus 34 per cent? The answer is the fire department played the game and the rest did not.

It makes no sense to me to have a council directive to staff to come in with a two per cent increase budget and then change the game in the second period and ask council to reconsider an additional increase of $250,000 or 2.5 per cent which would bring the total increase to 4.5 per cent.

The scary thought to all of this - was this the game plan all along?

At least that's the way I see it.

Paul Mitchell

Thornbury