Here is an email that came in regarding the City Council meeting on May 14th. Northlands member attendance is strongly encouraged.
Hello Everyone,
This is a crucial time and as a Northlands resident I am asking for your help. Please come to the
Monday, May 14th meeting, 7pm at City Hall to help Northlands ensure that the monthly amount in the MOU is guaranteed. It has been asked that the City agree to charge a set amount for replacing the infrastructure and for them to be responsible for any costs that run over the local improvement tax amount agreed to in the Memorandum of Understanding. Trevor Kasteel, a member of the negotiations committee, has given me permission to forward an email that will give you more information of what he would like Northlands to stand up for. His email is provided below.
Please come out to Monday's meeting! In this meeting the MOU is likely to be passed and we can move forward. Show your support for ensuring that our costs remain as agreed to, and be informed!
Thank you,
Cheryl Fountain
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Trevor Kasteel Email:Subject: Council meeting - MOU
Date: Fri, 11 May 2012 12:07:31 -0600
There are several things I want to make you all aware of going into Council on Monday regarding the MOU as it currently stands. I cannot support the MOU as it exists without the cap as promised from City administration in negotiations. City would cover anything exceeding $358.00.
We instructed our legal counsel to include this and he sent it back to City with that revision several times. The MOU still went forward without this to Committee last week. Now politically we will look bad in satlling this but I will address this Monday.
Did inform Wade of this and am now contacting all councillors as well a board member will be contacting the Mayor directly for me.
The biggest thing for both sides is we all want to see the deal get done right away and nothing slowing it down BUT this is huge. If I can get enough councillors on board with this going into Monday meeting then we will be good. The only way I see it working for everyone is to get the MOU passed Monday night, but get it passed with an amendment that they cap it and we will be prepared for their (administration’s) legislative argument against it.
We have no security with not having a say in management of project and on top of that being responsible for overages (anything over and above the $358.00 per month). I plan on making a presentation to Council concerning this main issue and backing it up. Have met with Grant Rice again yesterday regarding specifically Gas Tax and he is also doing some legislative research for me to prepare for Monday. See below for several points and arguments for Monday presentation:
1. All we are asking is for the City to include what they said in negotiations.
2. We need that security.
3. If the City is responsible too financially, they will have a fire lit under them to truly work as hard as possible together to find alternative sources oif funding to make sure this never does exceed $358.00 per month. On top of that they will be ever so diligent during the construction of the project if they are responsible as well for any overages. Bottomline, they will be forced to care more about the efficiency of the project.
4. We have been a cash cow for the City in many, many ways over the year. Water wastage fees, high tax assessments which were lowered through appeal, individual water access fees on monthly water bills instead of one access fee for whole park if we are truly private, infrastructure levy fee, etc.
5. Need to see cap amnedment made on Mou at Council and we will proceed with signing off on deal and not hold anything up.
6. Admin knew our stand that cap needed to be included. This was put forth to Council without it and I almost think on purpose politically so we are backed into a corner to just accept because the alternative is we willl be looked upon as being the ones to be difficult and potentially causing harm to the overall deal.
7. With in the MOU it says the City needs to work with us to explore any/every avenue to keep costs down and already from Monday they are not too supportive of Grant’s presentation and have not included cap. We haven’t even signed the deal yet and they are already showing signs of questionable support. This point alone shows me that we need to protect ourselves now because once we sign they will only honour what is signed.
8. There is a lot more I want to write but I honestly don’t have the time.
We need to have the place packed of Northlands residents. More than ever before. This position needs support… HUGE! If people were ever going to come out for a meeting, this is the one we need them at. Pack the place and politically it very well could sway the cap into place. Please, please get as many people from Northlands out to this meeting and even if they are lined out past the doors it will show that if the cap is in place people that are there are willing to0 sign off on the deal on our behalf. This will be a huge influence on the outcome of this cap amendment.
Please work on getting a ton of people out for Monday and I don’t care if they are standing in the lobby because it is so full. The bodies will show solidarity.
If overwhelming majority of people feel I am on the wrong path for them going into this then I will withdraw. I should honestly give you all that option as well. I will not make the presentation and I would withdraw from the Infrastructure committee if vast majority like deal as is.
Thank you all.
Trevor Kasteel
Kasteel Konstruction Inc.
ph: 867-445-2800
email:
tkasteel@theedge.ca
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