What Happened to the Promises of Openess and Communication

Recently the NH council voted to declare the Wingham trailer park as surplus land and dispose of it. This action has taken many residents of Wingham by surprise since there had been no prior public notice of this intent. The important point to take very careful note of here is that council did not notify or seek any outside comment or involvement from the people of Wingham or North Huron with regard to selling off an asset that has been part of the community for many years. This rather dictatorial attitude begs that we ask the question what is next? What other asset or program does council and the departments of NH have in it’s sites to abolish without asking our opinions.

At the COW meeting the following week I asked what was the justification for closing the park and the immediate answer given by Ms Newson was that it was losing money. When I opened the NH budget and read the numbers I challenged this comment since the budget numbers show an average profit of almost $3200 over the last 2 years and although it is forecast to lose $649 in 2011 the year is not over. Ms Newson then responded that there were some $17000 of expenses in the Rec. Admin budget that were directly attributable to the trailer park. This is astounding when you consider that that would represent almost 10% of the budget actuals for 2010. I asked what those expenses were and why they were not properly accounted for did not receive an answer. If true then that means the trailer park has an administrative cost of almost $26000 on revenues of $25000. Instead what I got was the response again from Ms Newson that regardless “we do not know how to run a trailer park or to advertise it to make it profitable”. Based on the previous remarks you hit that nail right on the head again I find this astounding since Ms Newson seems to spend such a great deal of time telling us about all of the great things they are doing for the Blyth trailer park. On the one hand they do not know how to run a park but look at the great job we are doing.

Just to put this in perspective over the last 2 years the Wingham trailer park with approximately 45 sites has generated a surplus revenue of $6281 while the Blyth trailer park with over 800 sites has generated a surplus of only $5040 while at the same spending over $235000 in Blyth to build a “storage shed” that was originally supposed to be additional washrooms and shower facilities. If I were to question the ability to manage either of these parks based on the numbers I would have to put Wingham on top.

If we are going to look at items that serve very few in the community and lose money then we should be looking at the Wingham airport. In 2009 it lost taxpayers$10186 in 2010 it lost $26925 and was budgeted to lose $22378 in 2011. This figure will now rise since council approved the spending of unbudgeted monies to promote the airport. This based on the report from Ms Newson that the airport provides an economic benefit of $300,000 to the community although there was no such analysis done for the trailer park. Although a member of the gallery asked for an explanation of where this figure came from they have not been provided with the information requested.

A recent airport promotion was a Fly In BBQ and was reported as successful with 10 planes and 13 cars arriving and 59 meals sold. I do not see any analysis of where these planes or vehicles came from so I do not see sufficient information to determine if this was a success or help with future planning. There is no data here that provides any useful information. And against what are you measuring success? If no one comes it is a failure but if one person comes it is a success?

Strange they do not know how to manage a trailer park that breaks even but they know how to run an airport that loses money. And before someone responds with the old “we have leases that we cannot break” routine I say get a lawyer there is no lease in the world that cannot be undone. This from a council now involved in a lawsuit against other municipalities in Huron County. The difference here is that someone does not like “trailer trash” but loves airplanes and the assumed wealth they represent so we as taxpayers will have to pay the price.

What about the cutting back programs and staff at the WCCC since that cost taxpayers almost $800,000 last year and the over $200,000 loan payment that is the sole responsibility of the Wingham taxpayers. When we I look at the numbers provided by the Rec. Dept for fitness classes I am puzzled why we do not let them run the new school since they have an average student teacher ratio of 1 to 8 while the school struggles with a 1 to 35 ratio. How do they do that? Easy the many pay for the few who use it. Before the out cry begins over the last 2 years fitness programs cost an average $33276 and are forecast to cost $34249 in 2010. After reviewing the numbers in the budget though I would be forecasting a loss of $60000 to be more in the realm of reality. We could probably do more for the community by getting rid of all the candy and junk food dispensers that line the halls leading into the complex. If we handled our expenses better I am sure we could do without the estimated $2500 it generates and then we wouldn’t so many obese children and adults needing the fitness facilities. How’s that for logic?

Council and some councilors seem to be again paying lip service to the needs of the taxpayers and blindly following the suspect recommendations of some staff members. Mr Vodden for instance has stated publicly that we have too many services in North Huron. At the same time he has said stated that “we should not make those cuts without consulting the community as to THEIR PRIORITIES.” This right after he voted to do just that. But again this from a man who stated “My personal agenda is to do, and to support what I think is right.”

I sincerely am beginning to question who is running North Huron. Council who we elected to provide direction to staff with regard to the feelings and wishes of the majority of their constituents regardless of their own personal agenda. Or staff who seem to have blinded council in the headlights and run things according to their own personal agenda receiving consenting votes on virtually everything they put forth with minimal discussion. When staff have been questioned they reply that they do not have the information but will get back to council with it. I have seen many questions from councilors put off like this and never seen the answers presented or staff has proceeded on their own anyway

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