There is a very alarming paragraph in the 2019 city budget.
"As asset management planning has progressed, the city has identified an infrastructure need of $3.1 billion over the next 10 years. Given this magnitude, it is clear that the City will not be able to fully fund the 10-year capital infrastructure renewal requirement."
This is budget talk for a MASSIVE problem. To put it into perspective, the city budget is about $600 million per year, and about $275 million of that comes from property taxes. If property taxes doubled today, it still would not be enough to solve this problem.
All of city council is well aware of this and has been for years, yet nobody seems to be talking about it, never mind actually dealing with it.
I have been sounding the alarm bells with every single councillor, but most of them don't even reply to my emails. I believe it is because to acknowledge the problem and have it widely known would slam the door on all of the discretionary and fun things they like to spend money on, as well as on all the big projects city hall likes to dream about and outside groups like to lobby for. Better it be next council's problem, then the next, etc.
So what do we get? A motion for a two-councillor working group to look into things for a year or so with a consultant's report pending. This is a pointless and somewhat insulting diversion, and, of course, is exactly how you get to $3.1 billion today.
So I am calling Houston. We can either surrender to our disintegrating roads, bursting water mains, collapsing culverts, crumbling curbs and sliding sidewalks, or we can demand action, start now so our kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews don't have to use ATVs to get around 15 years from now.
We need to take this to DEFCON1, but be prepared to open your wallet. Consider it an investment in keeping our next generation happy to live in Sudbury.
Mark McKillop
Sudbury