Dear Editor:
Once again, the Town of Hinton faces some tough decisions about how much to tax and spend, and what to spend it on. And I think it’s time to draw on our history of using plebiscites, as we did before deciding to build the Government Center and the Sawyer Underpass. This time the dilemma is what level of social or related programming we want, especially when we’re facing a major investment in a new water treatment plant that we can’t avoid.
It's nice to be generous. But unfortunately, the taxpayers can’t fund everything. And they’re already facing about a $ 2.8 million per year increase in utility fees (the equivalent of a 20.5% tax increase) for that new water plant ($2.2 million) and underground infrastructure ($0.7 million) that are not optional. So, should we really be paying $ 1.5 million per year to non-profits, civic agencies and for other social programming a lot of which, I might add, the Provincial Government should be doing?
The bottom line looks like this: By March of 2026 the owners of single-family residence, a business or a multi-family residence could face monthly increases on their utility bills respectively of about $69.45, $59.45 and $ 28.20, which works out to more than $830.00, $713.00 or $218.00 a year, just to put aside what we need for core water/sewer infrastructure and repairs and constitutes a 90% increase in utility bills for the owners of single-family homes.
Some people may be able to afford these increases. But they’re a serious burden for someone on a fixed income around $24 000 a year or running a business that suffered through COVID then the Jasper fires.
Now let’s talk about discretionary spending. The town is putting $1.5 million into social or related funding every year, which includes $1.1 million on civic agencies and other groups, allocated as follows: Golf Course ATB Loan ($154,000), recycling services for schools ($10,400), the Hinton Health Care Foundation ($500,000), Wild Mountain Music Festival ($7,700), Yellowhead County Airport ($92,000 – and it’s a contractual obligation), Community Futures ($10, 000), the Visitor Center ($34,000), Pathway to the Park for the West Yellowhead Trail Society ($50,000), the Historical Society and Museum ($55,000), Recreation Sites outside of Hinton ($20,000), STARS Critical Care and Transport ($20,000), the Arts Society, to run the Performing Arts Facility ($64 000), the Hinton Mountain Bike Club ($29,000), Hinton Disc Golf ($10,150), $1,000 for two members of the public to attend a sports tournament in the United States, the Community Grant Program ($29,700 – spring intake) and potentially the food bank ($15,000).
A lot of these are worthy activities, and some of them meet more urgent needs than others. Including the final portion $440,000 portion of that $1.5 million that goes to programming over and above the core level of family service funding the Provincial Government gives us. But even there, town council was recently given a report on this topic that indicated that we fund 35 core family programs versus 20 for comparative communities, our family programming expenditures typically exceed revenues in Hinton by 46% versus 25% for comparative communities, and the consultant indicated that some of our social programs are over scope as opposed to the level normally funded by the Provincial Government.
So the question is, should we fund everything or should we take a more prioritized approach that concentrates on core municipal government activities like clean water and/or underground water/sewer infrastructure, and leaves many things like, say, golf, frisbee, international sports travel, and mountain biking to volunteer donors? If we were to cut our social and related funding by half, it would reduce our utility fee increases by as much as 30%, meaning a monthly reduction of between $21 to $25 for businesses and single-family home owners.
While a 100% reduction in all of this social and related programming could reduce the utility fee increase by as much as 60% ($42 to $50 per month) I don’t think many citizens would consider all these activities unworthy. But let’s find out what they do think and take it seriously. I’d like to place before the voters of Hinton a series of options for a ceiling on that kind of funding, and a ranking of which programs are most important.
I believe that plebiscites are important in that they empower elected officials to act on difficult decisions knowing they’re responding to what the people want. If you have an opinion on this topic, including what questions to include on a plebiscite, please provide it quickly as the town’s budget discussions start soon.
Stuart Taylor, Member of Hinton Council
*Is a contractual obligation.
