Letters: Feb 7/13

Re: Central Frontenac Taxes

Shame on Central Frontenac Council for even considering asking Central Frontenac ratepayers for a property tax increase. Before council makes any more decisions on the budget they should ask themselves the following questions: How can we ask for a property tax increase when:

• we gave LDSB such a high cut in cost for a building permit
• when we used so many hours of staff time changing every policy & procedure so the school could be built in Sharbot Lake (on a swamp of all places)
• hire Crains’ Construction to grade our roads in the spring, when we have our own equipment & road staff
• hire unnecessary staff
• tender other jobs that are not necessary
• purchase new equipment when it's not necessary

I'm going to stop here with the list, as we all know that the list is endless on how careless council has been spending ratepayers’ money. Council, you need to sharpen your pencils and go back and take a good hard look at how much money you could have collected/saved towards the 2013 budget. I'm sure the tax increase would be zero, or very little.

Brenda Price

Seeking Chambers family information

I am the grandson of the Chambers family of Sharbot Lake. My great grandfather, Austin Chambers, knew Francis Sharbot. Some people may remember hearing of my grandmother, Ann Chambers, who taught school on her family’s own property, or of an incident in which one of my great-aunts was attacked by her pigs. She was saved by my great-uncle, who jumped into the pen and got her out. However the pigs killed him and she was left crippled by the attack. I’m seeking family information to pass on to my grandchildren and great grandchildren. The older members of the community, those raised and schooled in the old school house, please contact me if you can at 1-705-696-1687 or by email [email protected]

Dave Chambers

Re: NF discontinues ice water rescue

I was very disappointed with the decision to continue NOT providing the above service despite the well written Admin report provided by Councillor Inglis and the comments provided by Councillor Watkins. The mayor's comments basically inferred that what Councillor Inglis was saying was not to be believed or was incorrect. The easiest thing would have been to have the fire chief, who was sitting in the very front row, reply to the Admin report. By doing that everyone in the room would have been made fully aware of the correct information and would have allowed Council a more reasoned, complete discussion of this very important, possibly life-threatening, decision.

Mr. Mayor, just because senior staff is being questioned doesn't mean you have to essentially disregard what a councillor has prepared. The truth may not be what you want to hear but it should be heard!

Jim Beam