Community centre

Pelham Community Centre CHARADE ~ Special Meeting ~ April 25, 2016

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• published: 28 Apr 2016
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Full credit to Town of Pelham https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s024wq9RVk & Video Stream & Production by WeeStreem info@weestreem.com From 1971 to 2011, the population of Pelham increased by 6,601 over those 40 years, which is an additional 165 residents per year. You could divide that by 2 or maybe 3 to count as a taxpaying household. In 2016 we have 6,500 households paying taxes. The current Community Centre was constructed in the 1970's with one rink and requires some repairs. CHCH TV News (Video) Report on $36.5 Million Dollar #PelhamCommunityCentre http://www.chch.com/pelham-will-hold-meeting-36m-community-centre/ 6,500 Taxpayers have been lied to and will be paying for this reckless spending for the next 30 years. Mayor Dave Augustyn is muzzling those with opposing views, facts and statistics by deleting comments and blocking taxpayers with opposing views on this project. In fact, I personally was told by the Mayor, as well as MyPelham.com, a site run by his sister-in-law, that I was not a real person and I was posting anonymously on Facebook and he thought my job description was disgusting, therefore deleted my statistics and blocked me from further commenting. No attempt to discuss anything with me was ever made. It was only the fact I challenged him on this issue that any discussion took place. Once this was all resolved, he agreed to reinstatement me, however I am still waiting. I've written to the Town of Pelham to ask them to ask the Mayor to reinstate me and also question why they deleted my comments and disabled all comments on their Youtube video from the Special PublicMeeting video re-posted here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8s024wq9RVk I heard first hand from Brian Baty, Niagara Regional Councillor who stated: "I have not seen an issue that has polarized the community as much as this. I was at the town booth for 3 hours yesterday and heard from local Councillors that there are well over 270 pages of correspondence for Monday's meeting with a lengthy list of citizens requesting to speak." Mayor Dave states on his Facebook page the following; "Just reviewed 20 presentations, 129 letters (117 in favour, 9 against, 3 worried) & 4 reports for special ‪#‎PelhamCommunityCentre‬ meeting Monday night. Of the 20 presentations, 10 in favour (from groups representing thousands of people) and 10 opposed (from individuals only)." ** THE TOWN OF PELHAM'S FLEXIBLE MATHEMATICS By now residents have all been force-fed repeated servings of the proposed Community Center funding pie. While each slice is inedible in its own way, the Debenture wedge stands alone in its distastefulness - in the sheer impossibility that anyone could swallow it whole. Says one accountant of this newspaper's acquaintance: "Do they think we're stupid?" In the Town's public presentations, in its advertising, in the glossy brochure mass-mailed to Pelham residents late last week, appears the same assertion: To repay a $9 Million dollar loan, each taxpayer is only on the hook for a mere $46.67, based on the average residential assessment. This people are told, is an increase for "2016 ONLY". Not only that, says the Town, but this amount is already "completely funded" within the 2016 budget. Hooray! Taxpayers have already paid their $46.67! That's the end of the tax obligation. Except that it isn't. It's a cleverly worded deception. It's a fib that borders on a bald-faced lie. What's actually proposed is this: Starting in 2016, the Pelham-portion property taxes will be increased to pay for a 30-year loan (the debenture). This increase will remain in place until 2046. This is not a "2016 only" increase. This is not a one-time payment of $46.67. This is an ongoing portion of the tax bill that would not exist were it not for the Town's borrowing $9 Million dollars on the backs of its taxpayers. And those taxpayers will be stuck with it for three decades. It is shameful that such linguistic manipulation be employed by a Town to pull the wool over the eyes of its own residents. Shameful, inexcusable, and ultimately the tactic that may just turn this funding pie into a crumble. And if that happens, Town Council will have only its own deceptive tactics to blame. SOURCE: Quoted from Page 4 - It's My Voice - April 20, 2016 ** Pelham - 2011 population = 16,595 Age Distribution 0-14 years = 15.3% or 2,535 people 15-64 years = 64% or 10.620 people 65+ years = 20.7% or 3,440 people (National average 65+ years = 14.8%, which translates to a higher elderly population in Pelham) MEDIUM AGE = 47.5 YEARS Population 50 years + = 7,585 people Population 35 years + = 10,745 people https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2011/as-sa/fogs-spg/Facts-csd-eng.cfm?LANG=Eng&GK;=CSD&GC;=3526028 Pelham - Town, Ontario, Canada http://www.city-data.com/canada/Pelham-Town.html