Dear Editor,
What is wrong with our mayor? First, in last week’s article, Mayor Labadie claims there are over 4,000 residences “subsidizing” businesses in the municipality. However, according to the 2016 census, there are only 2,664 private dwellings.
She indicated that council felt the residents were supplementing the businesses. When asked at the special meeting how the residents were supplementing the businesses, she replied that Gavan’s Hotel in Quyon used a higher amount of water.
Does she not know that in the town of Quyon, both the water and sewage is paid for at different rates so that the businesses pay their fair share and this is not a debt to the whole municipality?
Many businesses and residences are located along Hwy. 148 and therefore, they are serviced by the province for snow removal, etc. Garbage and recycling is a user pay system (you pay a set fee per bin).
When questioned about how the ratepayers were supplementing the businesses along Hwy. 148 at the special meeting, she could no longer reply.
The lion’s share of the commercial tax bill actually supplements the rest of the municipality, contrary to the statement of the mayor.
Actually when you remove the garbage and recycling from the tax bill, the remainder is used entirely at the council’s discretion.
Since when does a municipality operate or make public policy by feelings rather than facts and hard numbers?
Melvin Maxsom
Pontiac, Que.
