Moose Jaw Forum

Well wait a minute...wasn't Hagel able to be voted in due to his knowledge on how 'things were done'? I think that is why most people voted for him, due to his time spent in the NDP caucus.
When I say audit, I mean that every cent is looked at, spending..receivables, payables...payroll...the list goes on. I don't just mean the bottom line...
As for complaints....a couple of years ago a garbage truck came flying out of the alley on 9th SW...right beside the apartments up by I think it's Keith...I almost hit the garbage truck. I called in with a complaint to the city as the guy hadn't stopped, hadn't even looked to see if the way was clear, and I was told that 'they' being the city, only hired good drivers, to which I responded with...'he wasn't much of a good driver if he didn't stop and look.' So much for that complaint, it was filed under G for Garbage.

zephyrn wrote:Well wait a minute...wasn't Hagel able to be voted in due to his knowledge on how 'things were done'? I think that is why most people voted for him, due to his time spent in the NDP caucus.
When I say audit, I mean that every cent is looked at, spending..receivables, payables...payroll...the list goes on. I don't just mean the bottom line...
As for complaints....a couple of years ago a garbage truck came flying out of the alley on 9th SW...right beside the apartments up by I think it's Keith...I almost hit the garbage truck. I called in with a complaint to the city as the guy hadn't stopped, hadn't even looked to see if the way was clear, and I was told that 'they' being the city, only hired good drivers, to which I responded with...'he wasn't much of a good driver if he didn't stop and look.' So much for that complaint, it was filed under G for Garbage.

sorry zephyrn. to make a complaint that might one day reach the administrative review officer, you have to go down to city hall, i believe to the City Manager's office, pick up a form, fill it out with the details of your complaint, and then return it to the City Manager's office. Then the city manager will review the complaint and determine if it is worthy of the administrative review officers time. you cannot make a complaint by telephone or in person, it must be in writing, and submitted to the city manager.

The city, and every other city in Saskatchewan, were forced to create such a position by the province, but how the system worked was left to the individual city. In most cities, the process wasn't any better than here. but then the province got rid of the requirement to have the position. Most city's followed suit by eliminating the position, but in Moose Jaw, most councillors see the position as a form of the accountability to the citizen. Next time you see any of the councillors, ask them two questions. 1) what purpose does the position serve? 2) How does the system work? It would be interesting to know how many of them believe the positon is about accountability, and how few know how the system works. As jty showed earlier in his post with the copy/paste from the city's website, that information is freely available.

as i said, the position is a joke. if the will was there, it could be something of value, but as it exists, it is not.

If a person has a chance take a good read of the entire two articles in last Thursday's TH.
I would have to say that they were a lot more balanced on this issue.
My own personal analysis is that the two articles were not the usual rah rah cheerleading of the past. I was out having coffee today and a couple of the regulars commented about it and the capital reserve created out of what many people thought were operational funds.

I ran into one of the more ardent supporters of the Multi-Plex today at McDonalds.
Although he is not backing away from his support for the project, what he did tell me today was that he was not happy that the MOB basically assumed that they should use any excess proceeds from their operating budget for a reserve fund.
He likes the idea of a reserve but he told me that it should be under council's control and that any major repairs or upgrades should at least be made public.
He isn't going to quit supporting the Multi-Plex but he isn't happy about how they let people know what is happening financially and that they mishandled the entire annual report.

Unfortunately this MOB budget activity is just more of the same subterfuge that we (Taxpayers') have had to put up with for the last two Councils!! Transparency for these people - even Coleman who uses the word frequently - is nonexistent and this, combined with their arrogant attitude, has just continued to fuel the public "rift" that was created when this project got rammed down our throats by the Fab-5!! They just do whatever they want with no accountability, plus it seems there is little public conscience at any level within the MOB and four Councilors - really a sad state!!

Sledge wrote:Unfortunately this MOB budget activity is just more of the same subterfuge that we (Taxpayers') have had to put up with for the last two Councils!! Transparency for these people - even Coleman who uses the word frequently - is nonexistent and this, combined with their arrogant attitude, has just continued to fuel the public "rift" that was created when this project got rammed down our throats by the Fab-5!! They just do whatever they want with no accountability, plus it seems there is little public conscience at any level within the MOB and four Councilors - really a sad state!!

In many ways I agree with you synopsis Sledge.

It seemed that for a time that they were starting to paint their critics into a corner, but they lost sight of the big picture and the real state of affairs regarding the city's finances. In my opinion they seemed to portray an image of living in a vacuum instead of being better attuned to the entire community.

In my opinion they have held to their guns that it is their way or the highway in a very arrogant manner that has turned a few people off.
The operational subsidy they have seen as their own money and instead of saying thank you for the massive amount they received from the taxpayers.
They would have been far better off to have come back with a surplus and then gladly returned a sizeable portion of the remaining funds and asked if the city could set up and administer a reserve fund for them.
As it stands the have the appearance of being a sole proprietorship just out for themselves.

I could be wrong, but have they ever been publically quoted as saying that they realize the city is in a tough economic position and that they are going to do their best with what they have received?

They could have been the one good news story of the budget this year and silenced many of their critics, but they portrayed an attitude many people did not particularly care for.
Here you had the board chair state that the Nat might not be in the shape it is in if they had a reserve fund was an attempt to direct attention onto others and not about what is going on.