'Mayor ready to move' (headline from St. Albert Gazette, Dec. 7, 2019) – Of course she is! As usual without considering the opposition from the taxpayers on the MUC. She feels the need to listen to a "qualified" expert on this issue. How do we know this person is qualified? The city has made so many mistakes in the past using taxpayers' money. Does this expert come with references of past successes, able to show that his expert advice will not cause major tax hikes to the people of St. Albert, will make money in order to bring property taxes down?
The decisions of mayor and council are always risky in this city. If they could plan and budget and spend responsibly, we would not have tax increases every year. Before venturing into another "risky" project, mayor and council still need to accept the fact that Alberta is in a recession and funds from the province to the municipalities have decreased – getting in to a risky situation at this time is just totally irresponsible.
Oh and another thing, those of us who pay your wages and are on the hook for funding your "ventures" on our dime do have the right to voice our opinion. It isn't political pressure, it is the voice of people who vote in the mayor and council that are letting you know we don't want this. But alas, when the majority says no to a second library, the mayor takes that as a maybe. W. Maddox's letter to the editor on the council salary freeze was right on. If your salaries were based on your performance, most of you would be making minimum wage.
J. Ritchie, St. Albert
