Brand this

This little campaign is still keeping me rather busy these days, but not so busy that I can't keep a virtual ear to the ground.

If City Councillors aren't reading the feedback in articles like this one, and taking it to heart, they deserve everything they get in the future.

The can throw all the snide remarks and dismissals they wish at local bloggers but the fact remains there is a significant portion of City taxpayers who are quite simply fed up.

I don't know who, if anyone, advises Councillor Valentinis politically, but they should all have their heads examined.

Coun. Fulvio Valentinis, an Enwin board member, defended the board's decision to give the $4-million dividend, noting the money is going back to the local taxpayer.

"Shifting from one pocket to another, I guess that argument that can be made," he said. "If you didn't do this, well that's another one per cent increase on (municipal) taxes. It's a decision the (Enwin) board made."

That's one statement that will haunt the Councilor for a long time to come.

One thing to remember, we still haven't heard what the recommended increase for the WUC is for this year. Make no mistake, there will be an increase. If you go back and read the reports from last year, you'll discover that the 86% was not sufficient to generate the revenue WUC really needs to carry out repair and maintenance, but it was deemed to be the most citizens would stand for in one year. The other shoe drops sometime between now and July.