Taxes, water rates dominate debate

Six of Norfolk County’s seven mayoral candidates took part in a debate in Port Dover on Tuesday. Making their case to more than 500 residents packed into the community centre were, from left, Keith Milner, Ken Hewitt, Doug Brunton, Adam Veri, Noel Haydt and David Finch.

J.P. Antonacci

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

High taxes. Even higher water rates. Depleted reserves.

And a $33-million hole in the capital budget over the next decade.

Whoever becomes the next mayor of Norfolk County - and the field seems wide open as the Oct. 26 vote nears - will inherit a mess of problems.

Port Dover councillor Adam Veri - one of six mayoral hopefuls on the debate stage - said the rural municipality has taken great strides to solve those problems over the past four years.

“Norfolk County is on the brink of a new era of prosperity and growth through economic development,” Veri told a standing-room crowd of more than 500 people at the Tuesday, Oct. 13 mayoral debate in Port Dover.

Veri said, as mayor, he would continue directing budget surpluses into reserve funds used to repair and replace roads, bridges and other critical infrastructure.

That approach adds 2.5 per cent to annual property taxes, but Veri said not replenishing reserves would mean taking on debt to make repairs in future years at an even higher cost.

“And that’s exactly what got us into the mess we’re in today,” he said. “My goal is to stop that cycle of passing on today’s costs to tomorrow’s residents.”

Veri pledged to review municipal services to find inefficiencies and cut services residents no longer want, while funding those they do.

Ken Hewitt, the former mayor of Haldimand County now running to lead Norfolk, pledged to keep property tax increases at or below the rate of inflation.

He said Norfolk can get there by “taking a hard look” at government spending and delaying or cancelling some lower-priority infrastructure projects.

“I’m confident we can bring the budget back in line, get it a little tighter, and pull back some of the stuff the current council has put together,” Hewitt said.

Hewitt agreed with the importance of rebuilding Norfolk’s reserve funds.

“However, this is a time when people are struggling, and I don’t believe we should be emptying your piggy bank to fill ours,” he said.

Hewitt cited his 12 years at the helm in Haldimand as an asset.

“I’m ready to get to work on day one. No learning on the job,” he said.

Keith Milner, a retired police officer and first-time political candidate, did not rule out dipping into Norfolk’s reserves “to give the community a break for a little while.”

“We can’t continue to put this on the backs of everybody and expect the (tax) burden to be carried,” he said. “It’s not sustainable.”

Milner said he would lower taxes by auditing municipal spending, “eliminating the inefficiencies and focusing on essential services,” while lowering Norfolk’s reliance on consultants.

But he also advocated for keeping small community halls open as village gathering places for seniors, which municipal staff have said would involve spending significant tax dollars to renovate and modernize the facilities.

Milner is running on a platform of more accountability from council and staff. He would create “local advisory committees” for residents to bring concerns and feedback to councillors.

Doug Brunton, a Simcoe councillor and former public works director, blasted cost overruns on recent upgrades to Norfolk’s water treatment plants.

Norfolk residents should not be paying among the highest water rates in the province, said Brunton, who committed to “spend your tax dollars wisely.”

To lower taxes, Brunton said the next council should review and rethink elements of Norfolk’s 10-year capital plan.

“I think we’re trying to do too much with too little,” he said. “Maybe we’ve got to look at the assets and get rid of some. That’s the start.”

Former Port Rowan councillor Noel Haydt said household incomes are lagging in Norfolk while residents cope with “staggering” increases to their water bills and property taxes. Haydt said he has a plan to attract jobs and investment that includes boosting manufacturing and food processing. To entice new businesses and encourage existing companies to expand, Haydt said the county needs serviced industrial land, “reliable” infrastructure and “reasonable” development charges.

“We need to control our spending (and) establish realistic capital budgets rather than continually adding projects that we can’t do,” he said.

David Finch, a former Grimsby town councillor and retired paramedic, called for “better customer service” for residents.

“We could at least get the planning and building departments to issue permits and not feel like you’re bothering them when you go in for help,” Finch said, calling for council to be “open and transparent” about how taxpayer dollars are allocated.

“It’s our money. We should know where it’s being spent,” he said.

Veri challenged Finch on his research skills.

“I feel like I’m taking crazy pills up here,” Veri said. “All of our financial (history), taxes, it’s all out there. So to say it’s not available is bananas.”

Finch later clarified that Norfolk’s financial information was indeed online but “hard to find.”

PLANNING DEPARTMENT

Several candidates said the county’s planning department needs an attitude adjustment in order to accelerate housing development.

Brunton said developers complain to him about excessive “red tape” before being allowed to build.

That hampers Norfolk’s ability to increase the tax base, Milner added.

“It can take a year to two years to get a permit. So people are turning away,” he said.

Veri was the only candidate to explicitly rule out using strong-mayor powers if elected, saying the veto power weakens council as a whole.

Milner said he would only use the powers as a last resort, while Finch said he would seek to build consensus but “would not hesitate” to use his expanded mayoral authority to fire an older adult manager “that stands in the way of council.”

Haydt said he would use strong-mayor powers to shape the budget, and Brunton and Hewitt said they would use their veto power to nix another double-digit water-rate increase.

Mayoral candidate Ken Gilpin, who ran federally for the People’s Party of Canada in 2021, was a no-show in Port Dover and has yet to make any public appearances during the campaign.

An informal Spectator poll of debate attendees revealed no clear front-runner for mayor.

Online voting in Norfolk started on Oct. 9 and runs until Oct. 23, with election day set for Oct. 26.

J.P. Antonacci is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter based at the Hamilton Spectator. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.