Q & A - Councillor candidate - Dhaval Prajapati
(1) How would you advocate for affordable taxes while maintaining an adequate level of service for residents?
Property taxes are already high, and I am concerned about how much more residents can afford. I pay property taxes myself, and I certainly don’t want to see them keep increasing.
But we also have to understand that maintaining roads, infrastructure, parks and other services costs money. We cannot just cut everything to keep taxes down.
I would like to see a more detailed review of our spending, existing contracts and how we manage town-owned properties.
We need to identify where we can save money without affecting essential services. Sometimes it is not about spending less, but spending differently.
We also need to plan further ahead instead of waiting until something becomes an expensive problem.
I cannot promise that property taxes won’t increase, but I can promise to question spending and look for alternatives before supporting an increase. Residents should be able to afford to continue living in Amherstburg.
(2) What does “responsible growth” mean to you and how does growth in the commercial/industrial sectors factor into that?
Responsible growth means understanding what we can support before approving more development.
Every new subdivision puts additional demand on roads, water, wastewater systems, emergency services and other infrastructure. We need to understand our existing capacity and what improvements will be required over the next 10 to 20 years.
I also believe we need to focus more on commercial and industrial development. Residential growth alone is not enough. We need employment opportunities and a stronger commercial tax base.
Coming from the manufacturing industry, I understand that companies look for serviced land, infrastructure capacity and transportation access before investing. Amherstburg needs to be prepared for those opportunities.
I would like to see a long-term plan identifying suitable industrial lands, servicing requirements and potential partnerships with neighbouring municipalities and other levels of government.
We cannot expect businesses to invest here if we are not prepared to accommodate them.
(3) How would you balance protecting heritage attributes of Amherstburg against the growth of the town?
I believe Amherstburg can grow without losing its history. We already have some examples of how this can be done.
Look at Hotel STRY, The Missing O, or the loft development at the former House of Shalom.
These projects show how older buildings can be given a new purpose instead of being left unused or demolished. I would like to see more of this happening in Amherstburg.
During my 100 Days, 100 Stories campaign, I also spent time looking into Belle Vue and the Carnegie Library.
Both properties have historical importance, but maintaining and modernizing them comes with challenges and costs.
I believe we need to encourage private investment, explore available grants and work with property owners to find practical ways to preserve our heritage.
We cannot expect taxpayers to carry the entire financial responsibility of preserving every historic building.
At the same time, we should not lose what makes Amherstburg unique simply because the town is growing.
(4) What police service is best for Amherstburg at this time and how would you advocate for it?
I am not ready to say which policing option is best for Amherstburg until we have all the information in front of us.
During my 100 Days, 100 Stories campaign, I spent several days researching policing in Amherstburg, including the 2018 decision to move to Windsor Police. I also looked at how LaSalle operates its own police service and how Essex is served by the OPP.
We have three options to consider: continuing with Windsor Police, moving to the OPP or bringing back our own municipal police service.
The Town is already working on obtaining a proposal from the OPP and understanding what it would cost to establish our own police service again.
Once we have those numbers, we need to compare all three options, including staffing, equipment, response times, service levels and long-term costs.
Policing is too important to make a decision based on personal opinions. I want to see the complete picture before taking a position.
(5) What is the best way to present Open Air Weekends (if at all)?
I love Open Air. I enjoy seeing our downtown busy, people walking around, families spending time together and visitors coming to Amherstburg. I believe it brings something special to our town, and I would like to see it continue.
But loving something doesn’t mean we shouldn’t look at ways to improve it. During my 100 Days, 100 Stories campaign, I raised questions about the costs and revenues of Open Air over the past four years. I believe residents deserve to understand what it costs to operate.
We also need to listen to downtown businesses. Some benefit from Open Air, while others have concerns about road closures, accessibility and how it affects their operations.
I am open to reviewing the format, number of weekends and operating hours to see what works for everyone.
I support Open Air, but I also believe we can make adjustments to improve it while being responsible with taxpayers’ money.
(6) What goals do you have to move the town forward over the next four years?
Over the next four years, I want to focus on two things. First, getting our finances and town-owned assets under better control. We own a lot of properties and buildings, and maintaining them costs money. We need to understand what we have, what we can afford and what we want to do with these properties in the long run. I would like to see some of these outstanding decisions, including Belle Vue, finally move forward.
Second, I want to work on making Amherstburg ready for future commercial and industrial investment. I come from the manufacturing industry, and I know these things don’t happen overnight. We need to understand what land is available, what infrastructure is required and what we can do to attract businesses.
I don’t expect to see everything completed in four years. But I want to see actual progress on these two areas, not just more discussions.
Q & A - Councillor candidate - Dhaval Prajapati
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