02-19-2019, 05:13 PM
the_councillor, welcome to the thread and the board. We are happy to have you engaging with us here on this fraught, seasonal topic about how best to ensure people can safely and reliably transport themselves around here.
I'm in the "spend the money" camp. I think that even an exorbitant expense is worth it to clear the sidewalks in the cities, and that by shifting the expense to residents' wallets, labour, schedules, and health we are creating an unfair externality.
I know spending more money just isn't a political reality, though. Budgets are fixed, revenue streams grow slowly (especially taking inflation into account)... but if ever there were a topic that could wedge a property tax line item onto our invoices, I think sidewalk clearing might be it.
Do you think so? Could we fund that?
I'm in the "spend the money" camp. I think that even an exorbitant expense is worth it to clear the sidewalks in the cities, and that by shifting the expense to residents' wallets, labour, schedules, and health we are creating an unfair externality.
I know spending more money just isn't a political reality, though. Budgets are fixed, revenue streams grow slowly (especially taking inflation into account)... but if ever there were a topic that could wedge a property tax line item onto our invoices, I think sidewalk clearing might be it.
Do you think so? Could we fund that?