NEWS ARCHIVESDecember 14, 2007 W2008 Budget Finalized But Search for Savings Continues I am happy to say my Council colleagues and I have worked diligently during this year’s budget deliberations to provide value for your tax dollars. Although we were unable to achieve a zero per cent budget, I know that we did the best we could given the circumstances. Since amalgamation the City has not kept up with inflation as a result of passing zero based budgets. In doing so, they used capital reserves to pronounce zero based budget accounting. Council was faced with a tough decision on whether we should raise your taxes or affect services. The break down of this year’s 4.9 per cent tax increase includes, 1.4 per cent for the police budget, 2 per cent for life cycle renewal and a 1.4 per cent increase for the city's operating budget. In addition to this, we have made progress in identifying savings within our City. I would like to thank everyone who took the time to
contact me and share your feedback on the City’s 2008 budget. Your input is
greatly appreciated and provides me with a clear understanding of the priorities
for residents of Stittsville-Kanata West. Motion Moves Savings Forward During budget deliberations I seconded a motion put forward by Councillor Peter Hume that will allow the City to find savings within our general administration without affecting the approval of front line services and capital projects in 2008. I am pleased that our motion passed because the City now has the potential to save an approximate $25 million in administrative costs over the next three years and the opportunity to identify savings year-round. Our motion was in support of a plan mapped out by Mayor Larry O’Brien and our Council colleagues directing City staff to work with Council and a third party to undertake a review of nine City branches. Included in this review will be branches such as Information Technology Services, Real Property Asset Management and Financial Services. The decisions on each branches' operating budgets have been deferred until after the review, which is slated to commence in the New Year. Following this, the findings will go before the Long Range Financial Planning Committee who will then make recommendations to Council. All decisions will be made before your tax rate is finalized this spring. This motion will certainly move the process to identify savings forward and it has been great to work with my colleagues to identify a variety of areas for savings. Most importantly, this initiative involves public input and adds credibility to the process. As always, I encourage you to contact my office with any
questions or feedback you may have on this issue. Winter Collisions With icier road conditions, it is now more important than ever to stay safe on our roads. In the event of a collision, there are several options for assistance and it is imperative that you remain on the scene until help arrives. For all emergencies and serious injuries please contact 9-1-1. If you have assessed the situation and don’t feel it is dangerous please report collisions at 613-230-6211. For a full list outlining your responsibilities once a
collision has taken place, please visit my website at
www.shadqadri.com. Fairwinds West - Residential Development The applicant has submitted a plan of subdivision and zoning by-law amendment for their residential development located at 33 Johnwoods Street in Kanata West on the east side of Johnwoods Street and south of Maple Grove Road in the Mattamy development known as 'Fairwinds West'. It is being proposed to change the current zoning of Rural (RU) to Residential Type One exception zone (R1-XX) to permit townhomes, single-detached homes and an elementary school. The plan of subdivision is proposing 329 residential dwelling units. The townhomes will be located in the northern section of the subdivision and the rest of the subdivision will consist of single detached dwellings, an elementary school and a park. The deadline for comments on this proposal is December 28,
2007. For further questions or to submit your comments please contact the City
Planner, Sally Switzer at 613-580-2424 ext. 27597 or
Sally.Switzer@ottawa.ca. This
proposal is being presented and discussed at the Stittsville Village Association
meeting on January 10, 2008. Members of the public are welcome to attend this
meeting on January 10 starting at 7 p.m. at the Goulbourn Municipal Building
located at located at 2135 Huntley Road. Merry Christmas I wish all of you a happy and healthy holiday season. This is a great time of year to relax and celebrate with family and friends and I hope all of you take advantage of the opportunity to spend time together to create everlasting memories for you and your families and friends. My office staff and I wish you a very Merry Christmas and
Happy New Year. We have truly enjoyed working with our community over the past
year and look forward to serving all of you in the future. “Always Listening and Acting on Y our Concerns” As your Councillor, I always welcome your keen input and ideas on how we can sustain and improve Stittsville-Kanata West. Please contact our office anytime by phone at 613-580-2476, by email at shad.qadri@ottawa.ca or visit my website at www.shadqadri.com Please note that you can also contact my ward office every Monday and Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and every Wednesday from 1 p.m.-8 p.m. at 613-580-2424 ext. 33440 or 33442. Also, feel free to stop by anytime at 1532 Stittsville Main Street. Sincerely, [ close window ] |
