It was interesting to have the Mayor note in a Monday interview with Yorkton This Week how government often finds it difficult to deal with the expectations the public has in terms of service.
There is little doubt we have come to a point where our collective expectations are very high, but at the same time we balk at the reality of paying for the services we demand.
It is not unusual when a provincial budget is unveiled for people to rally behind their own area of interest.
Those on health boards will often be left condemning anything which cuts funding, and most generally they point to a need for even greater support, or the addition of programs. It’s the same if education is touched, or farm programs, or highways.
While seeking to not be the place to cut, or lobbying for more dollars, rarely, if ever do they suggest how the province might generate the needed dollars, or where they would see cuts being made.
It’s no better at the local level, where residents expect a certain level of service, but question when costs rise as a result.
We have seen that first hand over the years.
It was only a few years ago Council made the decision to reduce the number of times the City would clear snow from streets in the winter. It was done as a cost-cutting measure.
The telephone lines to the Mayor and Councillors were quickly buzzing with calls of discontent, and Council rather quickly retreated on the issue.
And while the City has not trimmed snow removal since, they often take criticism on street conditions, even in a winter like this one where snow fall amounts are not running very high.
A case in point was last Thursday when a car flipped over on Second Avenue North.
As firefighters, RCMP and tow truck crew dealt with the car a few people gathered to watch, as is often the case with such incidents. For the most part blame was quick to be laid at the feet of the City, based on the ice ruts down the street.
While Yorkton streets may not be clear of all ice and snow, anecdotally, since quantifiable numbers are impossible to come by, they remain better than many cities, including our provincial capital Regina.
Now certainly the City could clean more ice and snow. All it would take would be more equipment and labour, and the added cost to the budget which would result.
However, late last year we saw Council approve a six per cent municipal tax hike to cover current operations and capital costs. As much as we have an expectation of clear pavement 12-months of the year, it is doubtful many have the appetite to pay more taxes to achieve that desire.
It’s the same thing on the firefighter front, where many question the 20 per cent hike in wages awarded by an arbitration tribunal, and that decision’s impact on City costs, and yet most still desire a full-time professional force in the city. The two viewpoints are becoming farther apart all the time, as the cost of meeting our expectations climb.
For governments balancing the public’s wants versus its needs, overlaid by the cost involved is an increasingly difficult thing to achieve.
