CF Referendum Talk

Central Frontenac is too poor and too rural to bring in a new service that will cost millions of dollars, even if some, or a lot, of people want to.

And if that service is something as unessential as garbage pickup, it is up to our elected council to put a stop to the nonsense, and vote the matter down.

The fact that Council asked for a staff report on the cost of the service is all well and good. But when the cost came back, Council had a chance to look at the numbers, listen to the Treasurer, who was quite clear on the implications to the financial health of the township, and put the matter aside for some other council to look at, maybe in 15 or 20 years time.

But still, unless something changes at the regular council meeting on Tuesday night (February 24) Central Frontenac Council is holding a special public meeting on Friday (February 27) to enable two referendum questions on the ballot in the next election.

I will cover the second question they are looking at in a minute, but as for curbside pickup, the only reason for it, seems to be that Central Frontenac’s neighbours in South Frontenac have the service and Central Frontenac doesn’t. South Frontenac also has paved roads and lower, much lower taxes. If Central Frontenac brought in curbside pickup, it will weaken the roads system further because the township will be even poorer than it is now, and the tax rate would be as much as double the tax rate in South Frontenac.

Every spending decision made by council must be weighted against every other spending decision. A yes or no vote in a referendum, costing millions, has broad implications for the next council. It is irresponsible for this council to tie the next one to this kind of cost.

As for a referendum on septic reinspection, the program was established in response to lake associations, but it has never been implemented coherently or costed properly. Council’s role is to make those things happen, and to decide if the program should continue. It was a council decision to set it up, and it should be a council decision to make it work or abandon it.

Council should do that, and put aside any talk of referenda this fal