Brechin Sewer ExpansionTenders Are In..... 18% Overbudget

Ramara council met on Wednesday to view submitted tenders . The lowest bid was 18% more then the $7.4 million budgeted.

Ramara Council will meet on June 11, in General Committee, at the Joyland Beach Community Centre (Hwy 12 and Muley Point Rd. - follow the signs to McRae Provincial Park). The township will only make public this meetings agenda on the afternoon of June 11. Hopefully this matter merits its' inclusion for discussion that night, afterall council approved going to tender, before the public meeting was held, in order to ensure launch would occur in '07.

Where can the township tweek the numbers anymore than they have? Where else can they cut back then they have? The project needs to be expansive as possible, in order that the maximum number of users can be included, to keep individual assessments feasible.

One point I found troubling, at the public meeting, was the proposal for existing properties to be assessed a cost of $17, 448 while development charges for newly developed properties only were assessed a cost of $9,333 (in Brechin) and $7,778 (in Lagoon City). Why did the township make existing and loyal citizens liable for a greater burden of the project's costs? Why would they be subsidizing future newcomers to the region? To me, this was not right and evidence of the township's cozy relationship with its' developer lobby.

In light of these ballooning costs, from the tenders received, council's only viable option now will be to increase development charges. In doing so, it makes the land speculators liable for their fair share of the increased burden of this project's costs. It it these speculators have the most to gain from the sewer expansion, but they were never sufficiently made responsible for their adequate share of its' costs.

I just don't see council asking ratepayers to contribute to it, or to have the existing residents of Brechin asked to pay any more then the $17,448 originally proposed.

Does this council and this municipality have the balls and the desire to stand up to its' developer lobby? Clrs. Neher and White have shown they have. We all know where the Mayor and Clr. and O'Donnell stand. The ball in now in the court of Deputy Mayor Clarke and Clrs. Kahler and Appleby (who respresents the village of Brechin). These three will decide if this project should proceed or not. They all waffled when the vote was taken to go to tender.

I hope now that financial reality has set in, if this project is to proceed, the only possible option will be to place a greater burden for the overall costs, on the shoulders of the developers, who have the most to gain.

Hope to see my follow Ramarans on Monday night at Joyland Beach CC.