Melnyk's Financial Woes: Melnyk's Budget Edition

SeawaySensFan wrote:Looks like the area around Canadian Tire Centre is growing at a significant rate with retail and some 1700 homes, according to this article.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Bass+Shops+coming+Ottawa+2015/9160592/story.html

Businesses and real estate developers see it as a destination but City Hall doesn't. Yet they have no problem cashing in on the increased tax revenue and building permits indirectly generated by the CTC.

Apparently all the increased tax revenue and building permits don't cover the infrastructure outlay (streets, sewage, etc.) This is how Ottawa always explains their need to continue raising residential taxes (never mind that the income grows 7% or more each year simply because of the higher assessments, then they raise the mill rate anyway). What the City has failed to explain is exactly what happens when the roads and sewers are done, and the residential taxes from the new houses continue to be collected every year -- surely, at some point, you finish paying off the initial costs and the maintenance costs are much less than the taxes collected. I guess that's where salary raises come into play.

wprager wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:Looks like the area around Canadian Tire Centre is growing at a significant rate with retail and some 1700 homes, according to this article.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/business/Bass+Shops+coming+Ottawa+2015/9160592/story.html

Businesses and real estate developers see it as a destination but City Hall doesn't. Yet they have no problem cashing in on the increased tax revenue and building permits indirectly generated by the CTC.

Apparently all the increased tax revenue and building permits don't cover the infrastructure outlay (streets, sewage, etc.)  This is how Ottawa always explains their need to continue raising residential taxes (never mind that the income grows 7% or more each year simply because of the higher assessments, then they raise the mill rate anyway).  What the City has failed to explain is exactly what happens when the roads and sewers are done, and the residential taxes from the new houses continue to be collected every year -- surely, at some point, you finish paying off the initial costs and the maintenance costs are much less than the taxes collected.  I guess that's where salary raises come into play.  

They usually don't upgrade roads and sewers when they increase population density in certain areas. They just overload them and hope for the best. They deal with the floods if and when they happen.

There's a sizeable pasture in front of RCR and I noticed City workers putting up a snow fence there today. Must mean that the City owns that land and might be a reason for propping up RCR?

SeawaySensFan wrote:There's a sizeable pasture in front of RCR and I noticed City workers putting up a snow fence there today. Must mean that the City owns that land and might be a reason for propping up RCR?

Might be where the new arena goes when the time is right as well.

NEELY wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:There's a sizeable pasture in front of RCR and I noticed City workers putting up a snow fence there today. Must mean that the City owns that land and might be a reason for propping up RCR?

Might be where the new arena goes when the time is right as well.

I think that land might be part of the rail line they bought years ago which would eventually be Bowesville Station but there are acres and acres between Albion and the rail line. Tons of room to build more than just a rail station.

Yup... I get wet thinking about that being a Findley Creek resident.

NEELY wrote:Yup... I get wet thinking about that being a Findley Creek resident.

It will help the commuters coming from my neck of the woods too and relieve a lot of congestion. And evidently relieve some congestion in your "willy" as well.  

NEELY wrote:

SeawaySensFan wrote:There's a sizeable pasture in front of RCR and I noticed City workers putting up a snow fence there today. Must mean that the City owns that land and might be a reason for propping up RCR?

Might be where the new arena goes when the time is right as well.

So the arena goes from one middle of nowhere to another.

It needs to be downtown or close to it. Like Bay view when the rail station there is done.

Although I wonder where the money will come from, they haven't paid off the CTC yet.

How is RCR not closer to DT than Kanata and much more central to the entire city?

22 minutes from CTC to Parliament Hill, 25 from RCR

Ev wrote:22 minutes from CTC to Parliament Hill, 25 from RCR

What's that even based on? Google maps? I can tell you one thing, from Bronson to the CTC it takes a lot longer than 22 mins on most nights lol. No one from the East end wants to go to CTC man.

We don't care about the East end. You're basically French.

Ev wrote:We don't care about the East end. You're basically French.

Ugh, I know... either way there is a whole lot of people in the East end and towards Quebec that they are missing out on in terms of the walk-up crowd.

Ev wrote:22 minutes from CTC to Parliament Hill, 25 from RCR

Don't use simple math to win an argument with an accountant. You've got to make it a little more complicated.

NEELY wrote:

Ev wrote:We don't care about the East end. You're basically French.

Ugh, I know... either way there is a whole lot of people in the East end and towards Quebec that they are missing out on in terms of the walk-up crowd.  

They can walk up to Bell Center, then. Honestly, I don't see what the issue is unless you are a season ticket holder. If you get one of those flex packs where you only see 10 games, that should not be an issue so long as they fix the problem with congestion (especially the parking lot).

wprager wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Ev wrote:We don't care about the East end. You're basically French.

Ugh, I know... either way there is a whole lot of people in the East end and towards Quebec that they are missing out on in terms of the walk-up crowd.  

They can walk up to Bell Center, then.  Honestly, I don't see what the issue is unless you are a season ticket holder.  If you get one of those flex packs where you only see 10 games, that should not be an issue so long as they fix the problem with congestion (especially the parking lot).

Because the thought of sitting in your car with 2 kids after 8 hours of work, waiting in traffic for 45mins to an hour and 1/2 isn't the most pleasant thought in the world? I cancelled my season tickets because it wasn't worth the drive out there on 1/2 the nights.

It doesn't surprise me the people in the west end don't "see the issue" lol.

On that note, I love the current location of the CTC.

NEELY wrote:

wprager wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Ev wrote:We don't care about the East end. You're basically French.

Ugh, I know... either way there is a whole lot of people in the East end and towards Quebec that they are missing out on in terms of the walk-up crowd.  

They can walk up to Bell Center, then.  Honestly, I don't see what the issue is unless you are a season ticket holder.  If you get one of those flex packs where you only see 10 games, that should not be an issue so long as they fix the problem with congestion (especially the parking lot).

Because the thought of sitting in your car with 2 kids after 8 hours of work, waiting in traffic for 45mins to an hour and 1/2 isn't the most pleasant thought in the world?  I cancelled my season tickets because it wasn't worth the drive out there on 1/2 the nights.

It doesn't surprise me the people in the west end don't "see the issue" lol.

I did it for 2 full seasons starting when our daughter was less than a year old (Brought her with us) and after that we bought a house that was a 7 minute drive to CTC. Of course after that we had to cancel them anyway due to financial reasons LOL. Still love the house, property and end of town though. :D