Dear Editor:
After my letter to the editor of last week was published concerning the lawsuit settlement paid to Whitewater Township Mayor Hal Johnson and other local matters, I received a phone call from a Township employee.
The person stated the rank and file workers (road maintenance etc.) have received little if any salary increases over the past few years. If this is true, it would mean administrative staff have eaten the lion’s share of the 16.89 percent three-year increase either by salary raises or additional hiring.
Also, I’ve just learned that our policing costs have almost doubled from $573,892.00 in 2014 to $1,058,069.00 in 2017. We should know why we are paying so much more for the service in such a short time.
And lastly, costing for the new effluent treatment plant appears to have been mismanaged. Awarding a sole source contract to JP2G for a $10 million project (it will be more) has very poor optics and is bound to be more expensive than had it gone out for tenders.
At the risk of being repetitive, I hope ratepayers attending the remaining all candidate’s meetings press for answers to the following questions
- Why wasn’t it made known to the public when the settlement to Mayor Johnson’s lawsuit was paid out at the time it happened and who decided the amount awarded would be confidential?
- Why did Council deem it necessary to hire a full time fire chief?
- Why did Council approve spending $20,000 in legal fees over the dog tag issue and lose? The question was asked at the Beachburg all candidates meeting but not answered.
- Why have costs for administrative personnel increased so much over a short time?
- Why have our policing charges escalated so much?
- Why did Council award JP2G the new Cobden Effluent treatment plant rather than requesting tenders?
If ratepayers can’t get answers to their concerns I don’t see the point of having all candidates meetings.
Thursday’s all-candidates meeting in Cobden should be interesting (Oct. 4, Cobden Agricultural Hall, 7 p.m. Plan to attend.
Gary Younghusband
Whitewater
