Leonard Bugeja and the issues ...
CRIME
My mandate is to reduce crime to the point whereby our citizens
feel safe and secure going about their normal everyday routines.
In order to accomplish this goal we need to do two things.
One is to increase the number of police officers we have actually
out patrolling the streets. The second thing we need to do
is to improve our community involvement. We all need to become
more vigilant in our own neighbourhoods. Remember:
- “Our police can’t do it alone.”
- “We are ALL responsible for our own actions as
well as those of our children”!
Facts to consider:
- YOUTH CRIME: In 2005, young offenders made up 12%
of the total criminal charges laid in Barrie.
- DRUGS: In 2005 there were 433 offences vs. 360
offences in 2004. That is an increase of 20%, with the greatest
increase in cocaine (+85%)
- BREAK & ENTER – (Residences’): In
2005 there was 529 offences vs. 457 offences in 2004; an
increase of 16%
FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Since 2001 the city’s portion of your property tax bill
has increased an average of 5.64% per year. Inflation has
increased an average of only 2.4% per year over the same period
of time. Even with this additional 3.2% differential, the
city has been unable to play catch-up in order to pay for
the basic services it must provide us.
Thus, my mandate will be to:
- Ensure better long term financial planning is in place
at city hall in order to keep our tax increases as close
as possible to the annual inflationary rate.
- Establish a reserve fund to pay for unexpected/unplanned
capital expenditures.
- Attract more investment into the city, as well as assist
existing businesses with possible expansion/growth.
My definition of a fiscal responsibility is for each and
every member of City Council to be held accountable, to each
and every citizen, for every one of their tax dollars spent.
TRANSPORTION/ INFRASTRUCTURE
As one of Canada ’s fastest growing cities it’s
inevitable to be faced with infrastructure struggles. However,
many of these challenges can be easily remedied by establishing
a long-term transportation plan. This plan must look at both
preventive maintenance and possible expansion for our current
roads as well as plans for establishing new ones. We also
need to improve our transit system. To achieve these things
I propose to:
- Establish a preventive maintenance plan for all existing
road, which includes the water and sewage systems since
the majority of them are linked together.
- Ensure that any changes to the traffic infrastructure
plan are done in conjunction with all proposed residential
and commercial growth.
- Find creative ways to promote increased use of Barrie
Transit; beginning with a major overhaul of the current
transit schedule. For instance, Bus #11 – which services
Bayfield St. – stops running at 10:45 p.m. on Saturday
nights. It needs to continue until at least 11:15 p.m. to
ensure that those in the hospitality businesses have a cheap
and safe way of returning home. I also believe that all
High School and College students should be able to purchase
receive monthly passes at half price.
FIGHT TO GET GO TRANSIT HERE SOONER RATHER THAN LATER.
Barrie’s current council has been in the “final
process” of securing Go Transit service to Barrie since
May 2004. I fully support Go Transit coming to Barrie, however
the bureaucratic delays are NOT acceptable. Our
City needs this service NOW!
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