It takes courage to admit they have made a mistake. For council to reverse itself on business licenses, it shows humility. I’m hoping that this decision will be made permanent. Creating a new bureaucracy and trying to find a way to pay for it is not responsible or good leadership.
The bylaw department should be part of building and planning, under the direction of the building commissioner since most of the infractions are building code related. If it is co-ordinated with the fire department, it will eliminate duplication and unnecessary cost and improve efficiency.
The health department, outside of our jurisdiction, will do the rest.
Each community is distinctive and different from each other. Using other communities as our model is not effective management. It shows poor leadership and lack of vision.
I would like to remind council of the HMS Detroit and how it started as a simple duplicate of the real thing, to sit on land. It was changed to a real boat to sail up and down the Detroit River. It started with fundraising and it was later subsidized by the taxpayers. That boat never sailed.
It was a monumental mistake and a huge disappointment, costing a huge amount of money.
We are repeating the same mistake with Belle Vue, with no benefit to our town. The cost of managing and operating will exceed revenue, adding to our budget. We don’t need to repeat the fiasco of the HMS Detroit.
Council should seek input from its citizens, free of charge, before making a decision on this major issue, eliminating consulting reports and saving money. It would be restraining from spending at a time when we need to adopt fiscal restraint. It’s the type of leadership we need.
Building a new fire hall at this time is totally unnecessary. The idea of a new town hall building is totally irresponsible. We can retrofit our present building for accessibility with an elevator in the front lobby and beautify it with an atrium at a fraction of the cost for now.
Balancing our budget should be a priority and a ten-year debt reduction plan before considering new capital spending. Promoting and marketing the many landmarks that we have and making use of those assets can make the difference between success and failure.
Resident urges council learn from mistakes
—Frank Cerasa
Amherstburg