On May 7 councillor Bowman made a motion to eliminate Sauble Beach parking charges.
The motion was narrowly defeated, but the idea did not die, as a motion to put on a future agenda a by-law to decrease rates from $15 per day to $5 per day was carried.
Eliminating parking fees or dropping the rates from $15 to $5 may benefit councillor Bowman’s chamber of commerce buddies.
But it will provide only pain for the residents.
Contrary to Councillor Bowman’s claims, parking revenues currently pay a good part of beach maintenance expenses. The numbers don’t lie. At $15 for a day pass, paid parking adds $270,000 annually to the treasury.
If Councillor Bowman’s motion had passed, the town would lose that revenue, and taxpayers would have had to pony up at least an extra $270,000 in property taxes every year, and likely a lot more, just to keep the beach maintained at its current level.
That’s almost a four percent increase in property taxes. That’s an extra $40 per year for the average property. That would bring the property tax increase in the three years since the current council took office to 21%, or $210 on the average residential property.
Where does Councillor Bowman get the gall to say to the people of the Town of South Bruce Peninsula that:
“We’re going to raise your taxes by 4 per cent, but don’t worry, you can trust me, because I’m a economic genius and I guarantee you that elimination of parking fees for tourists is for your own good.”
(Short version: “I’m Marilyn Bowman. I’m from the government. I’m here to help you”.)
I’m sorry Ms. Bowman but I know that you are not qualified to conduct economic analysis, and I know that you are not qualified to make economic policy decisions, and I don’t trust you.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, Councillor Bowman tried to get a “socio-economic study” going to prove that she was right.
How? She wanted to get the Sauble Chamber to “assist with the measurement plan”.
Guess what the chamber would find from the study?
Fortunately that idea failed to. But it will be back.
Councillor Bowman’s duty is not to the tourists, and her duty is not to the tourism industry, and her duty is not to the Sauble chamber of commerce.
Her duty is to the residents of the town.
Councillor Bowman has turned her back on the residents of the Town of South Bruce Peninsula. Councillor Bowman has lost sight of her duties.
Councillor Bowman needs to be redirected.
I urge all residents of TSBP to write to councillor Bowman and remind her of her duty to the residents and to inform her that her duty to the residents is to support keeping Sauble parking rates at $15 per day to avoid a 4% tax increase.
E-Mail Councillor Bowman at:
Might as well copy all of council:
John.Close@southbrucepeninsula.com
paulwmckenzie@bmts.com
Jim.Turner@southbrucepeninsula.com
jackson4saublebeach@gmail.com
Chris.Thomas@southbrucepeninsula.com
kklages@bmts.com
jaybeck@bellnet.ca
Craig
Craig Gammie's Commentary 