Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 23, 1995, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free october 1995 a3 service cutbacks harm business continued from a like Many business people in Lichti is wondering what Hes getting for his a Small business Man cant make a go of Lichti we have absolutely no services any if you Are a you Are penalized for running a he says the City no longer shovels the Snow from the sidewalk in front of his he says he had to pay for his own garbage i would make More Money Dri ving a Lichti Lichti thinks the problem is that City Hall is badly its very Lichti its top heavy on people dont Public works is the most inefficient department Ive Ever theres reason for the concerns expressed by people such As Lichti and property tax increases in Winnipeg Between 199294 were the highest of any Western Canadian at a cumulative total of per the increase is the third highest of any Canadian City during that Only Montreal and Vancouver were the problem is compounded by other unpleasant says Glen Murray fort approximately 20 per cent of the cites spending goes to service the and Winnipeg has the High est dependency on property taxes of any Western while 56 per cent of Winnipeg revenues come from property the percentage ranges As Low As per cent for As a six of the 20 highest taxed neighbourhoods in Large Canadian cities As a percentage of assessed value Are located in according to a study by the Manitoba taxpayers in North property taxes come to per cent of prop erty value the sixth highest of any neighbourhood in the Ken free press Stieffenhofe with life Cycle shed give in lieu of what does your candidate say Here Are some questions that voters can ask Candi dates about taxes and the do you believe a tax freeze is attainable if How Are you in favor of contracting out City services if which ser vice can be contracted out do you guarantee to continue reducing the amount of new debt that the City is acquiring if the candidate believes that spending can be reduced by Ting can he or say which City departments Are waste Ful welfare tax appeals a double whammy for City by Stevens wild City Hall reporter Winnipeg tax rates have been affected by a variety of including welfare rates and successful assessment a City councillor but despite the cites its tax rates have not varied a great Deal from the inflation says Bill Clement Charleswood fort All people know is that taxes Are going Clement said in an inter they Are going up because of Normal tax because of school because of what we dont control and because of one of the biggest items that is beyond the control of City Hall is the social assistance Clement City expenditures on social ser vices have More than doubled in the past five to million in 1995 from million in As the City has been hit by a series of successful assessment since appeals have Cost the City despite the the prop erty tax hike in 1995 is per just above the estimated inflation rate of two per Glen Murray fort Rouge said the cites financial problems were made worse by the cites Over Reliance on property taxes As a source of Winnipeg collects 56 per cent of its revenues from property compared to 40 or 50 per cent in most Canadian we have not developed the alternative sources that other municipalities have Murray Murray suggested a gasoline which would require provincial As an additional source of City Peter provincial director of the Manitoba taxpayers association said the City could solve some of its financial problems by Selling assets such As the moneymaking Winnipeg you have to pay Down some of the debt by Selling Holle that an unpleasant Reali and Holle said the City should concentrate on reducing spending by contracting out City he estimated contracting out would save As much As 20 to 40 per cent of the Cost of the they find that private sector companies Are More Holle he said such an approach would require a change of governments role is to Pur Chase the Holle i see it As a marvelous we could restructure the Way the City does Thompson attacks Sun poll by Bill staff reporter a Winnipeg Sun poll that claims mayor Thompson has fallen to third place in the mayoral race is her Campaign team the Sun poll has Terry Duguid in first place with 29 per cent of decided Peter Kayfmann in second with 23 per and Thomp son third with 19 per the Thompson Campaign says the poll by Quatro associates is the exact opposite of its which shows Thompson in first with a six Point Lead Over Kau Fraanna and a 10pojnt Lead Over a recent Winnipeg free poll had leading with 6 per cent of decided and que Guin and Kaufmann tied with 18 per cent Here is the Bottom line from mayoral hopefuls the following Are May Oral candidate Terry dug ids announced positions on taxes and the impose a regional tax on sur rounding and give the Revenue to the Roll Back City spending to 1994 limits until the 1996 budget is a Zero per cent tax increase is but he will not Promise will not privatize a number of Cit owned including Winnipeg but he is not opposed to the principle of Priva the following Are Peter Kauf Manns announced positions on taxes and the contract out most of the ser vices provided by the works and operations department and the Parks and recreation he no layoffs of City abolish the Board of commissioners and replace it with a City allow City employees to bid on services that Are contracted Winnipeg Hydro will not be phase out the business tax Over a 10year dont tax Home builders on unsold new he will not guarantee a Zero per cent tax increase in the first the following Are mayor Susan Thompsons positions on tax and the work toward a property tax downsize encourage the administration and Council to determine specific services that can be contracted Public private partnerships should finance Public will look at ways to avoid duplication with the other Levels of massive debt haunts City service cuts blamed on fiscal crisis by Stevens wild City Hall reporter behind the cites annual struggle with the budget process is an Ever increase ing debt that consumes 20 per cent of the spending right off the debt is the fastest area of growth in City said Glen Murray fort with almost one in five dollars spent by the City this year going to servicing the cites and the debt problem is the Rea son Why City taxes Are increasing while City services Are being he debt is growing at such a great Speed that no one would contemplate tax increase at the same Murray debt is the major push behind most tax hikes and most service and while the cites spending by department has not increased in three debt charges have increased by million in the same the situation is going to get worse before it gets while the City spent million Servic ing its debt in that figure will continue to grow until it peaks at million in when the amount of debt the City pays off actually exceeds new its like an Ostrich that Swal Lowed a said City treasurer Keith the Stone is still in the that Why taxes Are going up and services Are Mur Ray pressure from the debt spurs a debate every year on cuts to such things As libraries and while the City is mandated to bal Ance its current budget each it can go into debt to finance its capital that what has caused the prob Murray the City Bor atty Bufett la be 18 Stim financial information about till Eity Bud get Over the last five years property tax charges As o rate increase went budget 1995 per 19 estimated 1994 per cent 1993 per cent 1770 1992 11 per cent 1991 per cent 1990 per cent 18b 1989 per 1988 per cent rowed heavily to finance capital projects in the mid to late in budgeted expenditures for All City departments is million this marginally More than the spent by the City in but debt charges have increased to million from Mil lion during the same we have the biggest debt in the Murray the increase in debt charges this year of about million is More than half the million budget of the beleaguered Library Murray debt has driven the Cost of government so the productive part of government has been Murray in the million for debt is by than the spending for any single City the City department with the largest budget is the police service at followed by social services at compared to other Western Winnipeg has a huge debt while Calgary spent per cent of its budget on debt in Saskatoon and Edmonton spend per per cent and per cent respectively on debt the cites total net debt at the end of 1994 was the tax supported portion of that debt the portion that the taxpayers pay interest on sits at Mil up from million in in the total was the cites debt escalated rapidly in the 1980s when the City Bor rowed More than million annually for its capital budget in the years and 1990 the financial Impact of the Large capital budgets from the mid Tolate 1980s continues to flow through the system and the current forecasts show that these charges will continue to increase each year until they Peak at approximately million in the year chief commissioner Rick Frost said in a report to these charges will decline slowly if the City follows through on its recent initiatives of More moderately sized capital Bud gets and greater Reliance on inter Nal Payas Yugo and use pay philosophy and less Reliance on external while things Are going to be worse Between now and Council has taken action to address the said Bill Clement Charle Woodfort Clement said that Council began to address the debt crisis five years since City Council has reduced the capital budget every in the City will acquire million in new in the total is estimated at Complete line of Lincoln Mercury everything from aspires to lincolns 1995 mystique is 4 air anti lock brakes systems t list lease Fop Vii Soick co i Frap air trim in of i taxes less Iree air on 24 to red c net Price Nii l red carpet lease customer Cash used As Down future value in 24 Hoost from net Price j Tiv or 1995f150xlsupercab Auto Speed t list lease for less end Sqq 3053 24 red Carpel 0 future value in 24 months taxes Iii 1995 Ranger cloth split Bench Alum wheels Sale lease for less rebate 24 red carpet lease in 0 future value in taxes 24 05 net Price 24 month red carpet lease requires 1st payment i Security Deposit plus Lincoln Mercury 555 Empress 7722411 what a Dealership should be we will not be undersold ;