One can hardly be surprised that Mayor Peary and Abbotsford City Council are opposed to Translink. After all it would interfere with their great gas tax grab.

First it was parking fees in city parks, now it is gas taxes. Just what kind of budget did Council pass? Incomplete and under funded it would seem. Exactly what was the purpose in passing a budget that lacked adequate funding to pay for all the services?

A budget that it seems failed to include roadwork, and who knows what other infrastructure, acutely needed for the functioning of our city.

City officials seem to see nothing out of the ordinary in setting a budget with a 5.5% tax raise they themselves admit was not adequate to cover the costs of operations with out additional sources of revenue (taxes) such as the parking fees.

Leaving one to wonder what other unpleasant surprises await taxpayers as the year progresses and the “budget” plays out?

With building starts off (84% in February ’09) how much will last year’s actual revenue fall below projections?

Remember that Council burned its way through much of the City’s reserves on undisclosed Plan A costs and cost overruns. Thus it will not require much of a revenue shortfall to place Abbotsford in a deficit position at the end of the 08/09 fiscal year.

Since, by law, municipalities are not to run a deficit any deficit will need to be made up out of taxpayer’s pockets.

With City business so bad last fall that council only needed to meet twice a month, beginning to trim spending last fall would have been the prudent and responsible course of action to take.

I suppose citizens should not be surprised that council did not act in such a financially responsible manner. After all, faced with the current economic climate city council chose to increase spending, not seek savings. Increasing spending to the point council needed to try to sneak additional tax increases in disguised as and called “parking fees”.

Should not the millions of dollars of roadwork the mayor speaks of have been addressed in the budget? Instead of just being pushed into the future as part of the $50 million in deferrals? Abbotsford is threatened by this towering tidal wave of deferred but needed infrastructure projects.

But hey, as citizens are crushed flat by onerous taxes, city fees and levies, the city falls apart around us or run out of cash sometime during the 09/10 fiscal year – we have a new Arena complex to play and party in while ignoring fiscal reality and fiscally responsible behaviour.