There are only a few more days for me to connect with voters before election day October 27th. And as my success criteria is a quality conversation as opposed to volume of visits, I am not going to reach every door.
- I have been very pleased to have the chance to review with people how I see closing the recreational facilities deficit in King. There have been many questions on how and when there will be more playgrounds for all the new children living in King City. And I have been glad to review how we are working to establish partnerships to enable us to establish facilities in fiscally sustainable manner.
- Road safety is on many peoples’ mind. I have been able to review the process we are using in one of our older subdivisions to address the issue.
- Property taxes have been a popular topic with residents. I think people have been surprised to learn how King compares in terms of level of property tax versus neighbouring municipalities. And there has been good discussion about how our $27million budget is spent.
- The lack of housing choices for Seniors in King Township has been a hot topic. The hurdles (zoning and property values) are huge; the conversations have served to remind me that I must not give up on this issue, even though it is a tough one, if I am re-elected.
The challenges before Council are big ones. I am convinced that I have the skills to tackle these issues. I will continue to work as I have done during the first term: soliciting input from the community, listening to input from the community and my Council colleagues, studying the problem and advocating for what I believe the best solution to be. And, I will keep you informed.
The current Council has set the direction by developing our various strategies which are all based on the Sustainability Plan; if elected I will champion the wisdom of staying the course and executing these strategies.
If you don’t know me please contact me to set up a conversation. Alternatively you can read about my personal history and/or read about what I did in my 1st termand/or read about my platform. (Click on the hi-lights to find details.
I would not like to see all your efforts of the past 4 years wasted because of false perceptions of this latest round of wanna-bee’s to make things different. I like many of our residents want stability in those who are governing. As tedious as it sounds, conducting studies, making recommendations and formulating strategies is important if we are to see our vision of King materialize.
Our small little town was told to grow up fast and the majority of residents are doing their best with adjusting to all the new growth. It was never expected that all the latest amenities would be here when our newer residents moved in. We need to be patient and responsible with our taxpayer dollars. Land here is worth more than $500,00 an acre.
The developers have not paid enough in development charges largely because I have not seen one ounce of public space allocated for community use ( community centre, library, park etc) since they rode into town. Trendy glitch statements and techie talk is just talk when it gets down to it. Decisions which are made out of sound research and community consultations are more worthwhile than quick band-aid solutions.
My vote is for stability and sound reasoning recognizing that King City is one part of a larger pie, that being King Township and those needs will vary depending on where one lives and works over the course of hopefully many years. A Council that works together versus one that butts heads over all issues will in the end accomplish more in my humble opinion.
Congratulations on your win. My friends, relatives, and myself had voted for you!
I hope with your re-election you can bring into light some of the following issues:
#1 – Large community centre in King City that can accommodate future growth needs to be constructed as soon as possible – A community centre that holds a big swimming pool that allows seating for parents to watch their kids swim and a least 2-3 skating arenas and culture & arts centre for performances
#2 – New and bigger library in King City is a definite must
#3 – Tennis courts and soccer fields is lacking
#4 – Parks for children is at minimal right now
#5 – Capitalize on businesses to come into town to establish themselves and tourism in King City to help with generating revenue – we might need to creative marketing and to source elsewhere for new businesses to invest in King City perhaps other countries
#6 – GO Train parking and schedules
Hello J, Thank you for your confidence in me. I am very pleased to continue serving Ward 5 and rest of King Township.
I would like to respond to your list of issues. I do agree that King City is growing and that additional amenities are appropriate. It is very much a question of timing; and part of the timing is the question of how we add amenities in a financial sustainable manner.
i) Even at full build out in King City of 12,500 it will be very tough to build and operate the community centre you envision; a pool is the most expensive infrastructure for a municiplality to operate. As I have identified previously it is necessary that we create partnerships with institutions and neighbouring municipalaties to build such a community centre; we are working towards that.
ii) We have already established partnerships with both Villa Nova and Country Day School for soccer fields; in addition to building morefields we will look to do more with them.
iii) At this point there 3 projects in King City for addressing the inadequate parks; the 2015 budget will determine how many we do in 2015. (In addition, of course, there are gaps in the other villages which need to be addresssed.) A large portion of the capital cost for those parks will be covered by development charges (i.e. the funds that developers pay) but property tax funds are also required to build them.
iv) All our villages are growing; hence library capacity is required to be increased across the Township. Like the parks, a large portion comes from development charges, but property tax funds are also required.
v) The GO train is not in the municipality’s jurisdiction; but, I will continue to try and influence Metrolinx. Metrolinx has acquired the property immediately south of current main parking lot for parking purposes; and they have a project to improve the parking lot off West Street. I know that execution of these projects is not as fast as you or I would like as there are water courses through both. To increase train availability I encourage you to contact Metrolinx and your local MPP and to review with them your need.
vi) in 2013 Council did approve the 5 year strategy for Parks Recreation & Culture; it maps out plans for new infrastructure.
Finally: as I have said the source of funds is Development Charges (DC’s) and property tax. King has started the process to update the magnitude of our DC’s; it is our intent that the DC’s should help us to upgrade/enhance the villages to a level which is in keeping with the prestigious subdivisions being built. Having said that, there is the need for realistic expectations: King City is going to be a village of 12,500; King City is not going to have the amenities that you find in a town of 50,000. Our 2015 budget process will begin in the next few weeks; public will be made aware of the opportunitiees to engage productively by communicating your perspectives on projects to be funded in 2015 with an understanding of the implications on property tax rate.