Conflict of Interest or Not, You Decide!
By Jeanette Bergstresser - South East Journal April 14, 2012
Recently an editorial written in a local newspaper candidly accused Mayor Gavin Van Der Linde of being in a direct conflict of interest.
The supposed conflict is in regards to the new Special Levy Tax placed on ALL buildings in the Town of Morris including all Churches, but not the church that Van Der Linde preaches at (the Open Door), as it is leased space. The conflict is claimed because Mayor Van der Linde is the Minister of the Open Door Church, he is on the Southern Manitoba Convention Centre Board and he is the commander and chief of the Town of Morris (Mayor). The rest of the editorial goes on to spin yarns of plots and speculations ranging from poaching parishioners from fallen churches to financial issues for the Town of Morris. As wild as these accusations and innuendoes may all seem, what is the real truth? Is there indeed smoke where there is fire, or is this a bunch of fear mongering? Lets look at the facts.
First off, what is the definition of a conflict of interest? According to Merriam Webster, a conflict of interest is a conflict between the private interests and the official responsibilities of a person in a position of trust.
Mayor Van der Linde was asked if he believes that he is currently in a conflict of interest in regards to the new Levy. The Mayor Replied, “Not in the slightest. Firstly, council decides tax issues every year. One of the requirements to run for Council is to be a taxpayer in the Town of Morris. Every councillor does in a direct way decide their own fate every time they discuss property taxes.
That is the nature of the process. It has been suggested that the Open Door should have a rent increase to reflect the special levy. That has already happened as the rental rate has increased by 6.7%, which is way more than the levy is costing.
That being said, in this situation it is unreasonable to compare property rental to ownership.”
The Mayor was asked if the church (The Open Door), which Van Der Linde ministers at, has any plans to poach or recruit from churches that may close due to the Tax Levy or take over the properties which may and could come up for sale. Van der Linde replied, “Firstly it is important to note that no churches are going to close because of the proposed tax levy. The proposed levy is a very small percentage of what every other taxpayer in the town is currently paying. For the smaller churches in town, it is a matter of $100.00 or $200.00 per year. So to answer your question, no the Open Door does not stand to gain anything from the proposed levy affecting churches.
A further note is that all other Not for-profit organizations pay the full taxes required by the town. There are very few who fit the Tax Exempt category.”
In the editorial in question it was said, “We all know that the Town of Morris is experiencing financial difficulties and that the current Mayor and Council are only partially responsible for this.” It is also public knowledge that the Town of Morris portion of the Hwy 75 repairs will cost any where from an estimated $ 750,000.00 - $1,000,000.00 to complete. Also a large balloon payment is on the horizon for the arena in the sum of $400,000.00. Van Der Linde stated at the Meet the Candidates Forum in October of 2010 he believed that a new Levy will more then likely be imposed on the Morris citizens to pay for that portion of the Hwy debt.
Mayor Van der Linde was asked if this has changed and how the Town will pay for the balloon payment for the Arena. Van Der Linde answered, “In the short term the Town faces higher
than normal debt payments. We still fall well below our limit imposed by the province. We have taken a long term planning view with this in mind. Our major debt at the moment remains the arena payments. We have regular annual payments to make as well as putting money aside for the balloon payment in 2016. When the final payment is made it will be a good day for all of us. The arena is an asset to our community, but the cost has to be counted.
Our share of the cost for the Land Drainage System under Hwy 75 has been financed over 10 years and will be costing us about $80,000.00 per year. This has the added benefit of increasing the capacity of the entire town to handle extreme rain events without over land flooding and basements of homes being affected. This new Tax Levy will only bring about $25,000.00 into the Town budget. So, there will be cuts to accommodate debt payments and budget increases in other areas.”
So...is the Town of Morris in financial difficulties? Van Der Linde,”No, the Town is not in financial difficulties. In fact we are in the position this year where we may see no increase in the Municipal Tax Rate. There has been some misinformation regarding this making it’s way around the coffeeshoptalk . Council does not work with an infinite amount of money, but we do manage the money we collect with solid long term planning. So some projects will be delayed until the appropriate cash flow is available.’”
Further to that, Van der Linde was asked if the citizens of the Town of Morris will be able to finally enjoy a long over due decrease in school taxes as reported in local newspapers or will the town be adding a few Mills to the tax bill so all we end up doing is breaking even.
Van der Linde, “Our Budget is not final, but I think we will see most peoples’ taxes go down this year. That is very good news.”
The final question to the Mayor was simple and direct. He was asked if he felt if the media was unfairly attacking him. Van Der Linde stated, “Being in the public eye is part of the role of being Mayor. Being held accountable for decisions made is important. The difficulty is when people make ill informed judgments or deliberately distort the truth for some reason. I am quite happy to answer questions or explain any of council’s actions if asked. Feel free to call me or e-mail me. My contact details are on the Town’s website.”
Open and fair discussion is the only way to find out what is factually going on in Council, where public money is being used.
We must have some sort of faith in the people we have chosen to represent us in municipal affairs. Council is made up of six Councillors and one Mayor. Not one person’s vote on Council is worth more than the next vote. Majority rules. Mayor Gavin Van Der Linde took an oath of office when he was declared mayor 1.5 years ago. We have to believe and trust that that Oath of Office meant something to him. In Mayor Van Der Linde’s own words, “We have much to be optimistic about for the future, and it will take everyone pulling together to see our community succeed!”
April 2012
sejApr14.pdf
click to download March 2012
As spring approaches, Town Council is looking at the many opportunities 2012 presents. Our main priority at this time is finalising our budget. This is always a delicate balancing act. Providing essential services, upgrading infrastructure and investing in key areas that show vision for the future wellbeing of Morris.
Quality of life for our community is always an influencing factor in our decisions. Showing wise fiscal management and stewardship for our tax payers is important. That is why over the last 5 years the Town of Morris has seen some of the lowest property tax increases in the province. At a time when the cost of living indexes in the country and the province have seen steady increases, our Town has only seen a total of 2.5% increase in tax rates over 5 years. Cost of living index for the same period has been 5 times greater than that. So despite escalating costs in all areas of the Council budget we have kept tax increases well below provincial norms.
With the assistance of the Provincial and Federal infrastructure grants we have been able to upgrade our Land Drainage System in Town to handle rain events much larger than previous with less threat to overland flooding affecting homes and basements. The rain event in September of 2010 showed how vulnerable we were to this type of flooding. With the entire country running a significant infrastructure deficit, we are actively working to keep ahead in this area. Overall the state of our roads and other municipal infrastructure are continually being improved.
The level of service provision for a community of 1800 is significantly higher than larger communities. Having a hospital less than a mile from any resident of Town with an ambulance service is unheard of in larger centres. A Personal Care Home for an aging population right in our community. A well-equipped volunteer Fire Department ensuring our safety with a direct benefit to home owners of keeping our insurance rates at the lowest possible level. A state of the art Arena and Wellness Centre are the envy of visiting teams. A School with academic and sports programing rivalling much larger divisions. We also have a newly renovated community Pool.
All these things together provide a Quality of Life that is hard to match anywhere. The many people and organisations, who volunteer in every area of our community, make it the ideal place to grow healthy families. The sense of community and multigenerational relationships in a smaller town are the incubator for healthy families to develop. Our extremely low crime rate also brings a level of peace and stability to our country living.
All these services cost money and in our planning we try to manage our budget accordingly. Our 2 largest areas of debt right now are payments for the arena which will be completed in 2016, and the Land Drainage upgrades along Highway 75 that will continue until 2021.
One essential element for keeping taxes down in Town is to make sure that we have significant new assessment to fund inflationary costs and new services. New assessments in housing and business are directly proportional to our ability to keep taxes lower. With our census numbers increasing in Town between 2006 and 2011, it is an encouraging sign of some sustainable growth for us. We saw an increase of 9.4% in population, but even more encouraging is the fact that we saw a 13% increase in dwellings or homes in our community. These figures directly affect the strength and diversity of our tax base. From an economic development perspective we will continue to leverage the strength of new housing starts. We will also focus on specific areas of need, one of those being the need for more 55+ housing in town.
We continue to welcome your insights and comments as we lead our community into the future. Please use the form below to leave comments.
Quality of life for our community is always an influencing factor in our decisions. Showing wise fiscal management and stewardship for our tax payers is important. That is why over the last 5 years the Town of Morris has seen some of the lowest property tax increases in the province. At a time when the cost of living indexes in the country and the province have seen steady increases, our Town has only seen a total of 2.5% increase in tax rates over 5 years. Cost of living index for the same period has been 5 times greater than that. So despite escalating costs in all areas of the Council budget we have kept tax increases well below provincial norms.
With the assistance of the Provincial and Federal infrastructure grants we have been able to upgrade our Land Drainage System in Town to handle rain events much larger than previous with less threat to overland flooding affecting homes and basements. The rain event in September of 2010 showed how vulnerable we were to this type of flooding. With the entire country running a significant infrastructure deficit, we are actively working to keep ahead in this area. Overall the state of our roads and other municipal infrastructure are continually being improved.
The level of service provision for a community of 1800 is significantly higher than larger communities. Having a hospital less than a mile from any resident of Town with an ambulance service is unheard of in larger centres. A Personal Care Home for an aging population right in our community. A well-equipped volunteer Fire Department ensuring our safety with a direct benefit to home owners of keeping our insurance rates at the lowest possible level. A state of the art Arena and Wellness Centre are the envy of visiting teams. A School with academic and sports programing rivalling much larger divisions. We also have a newly renovated community Pool.
All these things together provide a Quality of Life that is hard to match anywhere. The many people and organisations, who volunteer in every area of our community, make it the ideal place to grow healthy families. The sense of community and multigenerational relationships in a smaller town are the incubator for healthy families to develop. Our extremely low crime rate also brings a level of peace and stability to our country living.
All these services cost money and in our planning we try to manage our budget accordingly. Our 2 largest areas of debt right now are payments for the arena which will be completed in 2016, and the Land Drainage upgrades along Highway 75 that will continue until 2021.
One essential element for keeping taxes down in Town is to make sure that we have significant new assessment to fund inflationary costs and new services. New assessments in housing and business are directly proportional to our ability to keep taxes lower. With our census numbers increasing in Town between 2006 and 2011, it is an encouraging sign of some sustainable growth for us. We saw an increase of 9.4% in population, but even more encouraging is the fact that we saw a 13% increase in dwellings or homes in our community. These figures directly affect the strength and diversity of our tax base. From an economic development perspective we will continue to leverage the strength of new housing starts. We will also focus on specific areas of need, one of those being the need for more 55+ housing in town.
We continue to welcome your insights and comments as we lead our community into the future. Please use the form below to leave comments.
Feb 2012 Q & A
The mayor answers questions for the media
1. How do you feel about the very impressive growth of population in the Town of Morris of 9.4% in 20011 Census?
9.4% is really impressive growth for Morris. Over the past 5 years we have focused on our housing growth by encouraging developers to build in Morris. What we have seen is basically "Build it and they will come". We knew there was a deficit in certain housing segments, so we targeted those areas. A variety of affordable rental options including a new apartment block, 4-plexes and duplexes. We also saw more spec home homes being built.
2. What if any financial implications in the way of increase Government funding does this mean to Mo Town?
Increased census numbers has an impact on some funding formulas provided to us by other levels of government. Every bit is valuable and welcomed.
3. How does the Town now plan for the future knowing that the people are moving into the Town after a slight decrease after the last Census. For example housing and services?
We continue to plan and look for gaps in our housing and service provision. There are still some gaps to be filled in our housing sector and we are actively pursuing developers to fill these gaps. Provision of services is also planned for with more of a long term view. We continue to provide services relative to our tax base. Over the last 5 years we have managed to keep our overall tax increases to only 2.5% while continuing to provide and increase the level of services in Morris.
4. What do you contribute the and lack of impact that the flooding has obviously not made on the town over the last 4 years seeing people are still moving in and investing?
The Town of Morris has been flood free for over 60 years now. This has caused some rural residents to move into town for safety and convenience reasons. With the level of flood proofing seen in the valley, the flood has become more of an inconvenience than a danger. Inside the Town we have less of a threat of flooding than the City of Winnipeg does along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.
Besides, country living with the level of services provided in Morris is unbeatable.
5. Has Immigration had any effect?
Immigration has had a small affect on our growth as we have welcomed new families into town, however those numbers are reasonable small and inconsistent over the years.
1. How do you feel about the very impressive growth of population in the Town of Morris of 9.4% in 20011 Census?
9.4% is really impressive growth for Morris. Over the past 5 years we have focused on our housing growth by encouraging developers to build in Morris. What we have seen is basically "Build it and they will come". We knew there was a deficit in certain housing segments, so we targeted those areas. A variety of affordable rental options including a new apartment block, 4-plexes and duplexes. We also saw more spec home homes being built.
2. What if any financial implications in the way of increase Government funding does this mean to Mo Town?
Increased census numbers has an impact on some funding formulas provided to us by other levels of government. Every bit is valuable and welcomed.
3. How does the Town now plan for the future knowing that the people are moving into the Town after a slight decrease after the last Census. For example housing and services?
We continue to plan and look for gaps in our housing and service provision. There are still some gaps to be filled in our housing sector and we are actively pursuing developers to fill these gaps. Provision of services is also planned for with more of a long term view. We continue to provide services relative to our tax base. Over the last 5 years we have managed to keep our overall tax increases to only 2.5% while continuing to provide and increase the level of services in Morris.
4. What do you contribute the and lack of impact that the flooding has obviously not made on the town over the last 4 years seeing people are still moving in and investing?
The Town of Morris has been flood free for over 60 years now. This has caused some rural residents to move into town for safety and convenience reasons. With the level of flood proofing seen in the valley, the flood has become more of an inconvenience than a danger. Inside the Town we have less of a threat of flooding than the City of Winnipeg does along the Red and Assiniboine Rivers.
Besides, country living with the level of services provided in Morris is unbeatable.
5. Has Immigration had any effect?
Immigration has had a small affect on our growth as we have welcomed new families into town, however those numbers are reasonable small and inconsistent over the years.
Highway Construction Update
Meeting with the Premier Greg Selinger
Premier Greg Selinger was in Morris on Monday April 11th to assess to flood situation. We were able to discuss in some depth the flood proofing solutions needed in and around the Town of Morris as well as keeping the Mid-Continental Trade Corridor open.
The Province is actively looking into north and south dike expansions around Morris. We were also able to discuss the need to replace the Marsh River bridge on the #23 East of Morris. This critical piece of infrastructure will cause us to evacuate before anything else. If that bridge is replaced, the Town of Morris will be less likely to evacuate in the future.
Flood Updates
Council Compensation
One question that comes up occasionally is how much councillors earn.
This is a fair question for a tax payer to ask. However not many people know the answer to this question.
Councillors are paid a monthly indemnity to cover their time for basic council responsibilities. They also receive an hourly rate of $15.00/hour for attending council approved meetings.
The indemnities are as follows:
Councillors - $400.00 per month
Deputy mayor - $475.00 per month
Mayor - $575.00 per month
To give you a big picture of what this meant for me last year I will attach the T4 that I received from the Town for 2010. This includes all taxable income and does not include other expenses like conferences, hotels and mileage.
For 2010 I earned a total of $8,233.33 from the Town. (click the link to see the T4) This is for an average of 20-30 hours of work per week. As mayor now my weekly commitment is even higher than that.
Any councillor is worth a lot more that the dollars they earn and I am pleased with the team we have working together at the moment.
This is a fair question for a tax payer to ask. However not many people know the answer to this question.
Councillors are paid a monthly indemnity to cover their time for basic council responsibilities. They also receive an hourly rate of $15.00/hour for attending council approved meetings.
The indemnities are as follows:
Councillors - $400.00 per month
Deputy mayor - $475.00 per month
Mayor - $575.00 per month
To give you a big picture of what this meant for me last year I will attach the T4 that I received from the Town for 2010. This includes all taxable income and does not include other expenses like conferences, hotels and mileage.
For 2010 I earned a total of $8,233.33 from the Town. (click the link to see the T4) This is for an average of 20-30 hours of work per week. As mayor now my weekly commitment is even higher than that.
Any councillor is worth a lot more that the dollars they earn and I am pleased with the team we have working together at the moment.
You Get More in Morris
As a community Morris has so much to offer us.
The People of Morris are our greatest asset and this website is dedicated to providing you with as much information about the Services and Supports in our Community.
It is also an opportunity to have your say!
I would like to receive as much feedback regarding your personal expectations and ideas for making our community an even better place for families to live.
The Blog Posts on the right hand side of the page are a good place to begin your conversation about the issues closest to you.
I will also include my personal email address if you would like to ask some questions or approach some issues offline. Click the link below.
Gavin van der Linde
The People of Morris are our greatest asset and this website is dedicated to providing you with as much information about the Services and Supports in our Community.
It is also an opportunity to have your say!
I would like to receive as much feedback regarding your personal expectations and ideas for making our community an even better place for families to live.
The Blog Posts on the right hand side of the page are a good place to begin your conversation about the issues closest to you.
I will also include my personal email address if you would like to ask some questions or approach some issues offline. Click the link below.
Gavin van der Linde
Priorities
As head of Council I have two main priorities. Both equally important, but quite different from each other. They are Leadership and Progress.
Leadership is the part that is the least visible and it encompases a lot of what happens behind the scenes. The task of Leadership is all about making sure that the rest of the elected Councillors are functioning to the best of their abilities. That they have the necessary tools and training needed to fulfill their elected mandate.
Progress is the more visible result of good leadership. It is the accomplishment of specific priorities that we were elect for. Some of these indicators of progress are listed below.
1. Renew the highway within the Town Limits
2. Work with the province on long term flood solution.
a. First priority is infrastructure – Keep Highway 75 open.
3. Healthcare:
a. Wellness Centre
b. Physiotherapist
c. New Doctors Clinic
d. Assisted living
4. Lifestyle
a. Parks – Continue to upgrade
b. Walking Trails – Continue to expand
Leadership is the part that is the least visible and it encompases a lot of what happens behind the scenes. The task of Leadership is all about making sure that the rest of the elected Councillors are functioning to the best of their abilities. That they have the necessary tools and training needed to fulfill their elected mandate.
Progress is the more visible result of good leadership. It is the accomplishment of specific priorities that we were elect for. Some of these indicators of progress are listed below.
1. Renew the highway within the Town Limits
2. Work with the province on long term flood solution.
a. First priority is infrastructure – Keep Highway 75 open.
3. Healthcare:
a. Wellness Centre
b. Physiotherapist
c. New Doctors Clinic
d. Assisted living
4. Lifestyle
a. Parks – Continue to upgrade
b. Walking Trails – Continue to expand
Highway 75 Floodproofing
April 2012
One of the main hinderances we face in our community is the closure of Highway 75 during floods. Fortunately our experience with flooding in the Red River Valley has ensured that we are well prepared for these events. In fact the Town of Morris has not been flooded in over 60 years.
However the closure of Highway 75 for 29 days in 2011 is again a reminder of the need for upgrading our infrastructure to meet the flooding challenge. This is not only a Morris issue, but a provincial issue as these repeated events affect the economy of our province.
Manitoba infrastructure and Transportation (MIT) are actively working on a solution. The flood of 2011 which affected large areas of Western Manitoba who were less prepared due to the fact that it was the largest flood on record. MIT had to realocate resources to this area of the province including the Engineering company contracted to do the hydrologic study in the Red River Valley. So after a delay of over 12 months, they will be resuming the planning for the Red River Valley. The solution is still years away, but we are moving in the right direction.
One of the main hinderances we face in our community is the closure of Highway 75 during floods. Fortunately our experience with flooding in the Red River Valley has ensured that we are well prepared for these events. In fact the Town of Morris has not been flooded in over 60 years.
However the closure of Highway 75 for 29 days in 2011 is again a reminder of the need for upgrading our infrastructure to meet the flooding challenge. This is not only a Morris issue, but a provincial issue as these repeated events affect the economy of our province.
Manitoba infrastructure and Transportation (MIT) are actively working on a solution. The flood of 2011 which affected large areas of Western Manitoba who were less prepared due to the fact that it was the largest flood on record. MIT had to realocate resources to this area of the province including the Engineering company contracted to do the hydrologic study in the Red River Valley. So after a delay of over 12 months, they will be resuming the planning for the Red River Valley. The solution is still years away, but we are moving in the right direction.
March 8th Public Hearing re Special Services Levy
What is this Special Services Levy and how is it going to affect residential and business property tax assessment?
The proposal on the table is to add a special services levy of approximately 4.7 mills which would cover police and fire protection services in town. Simultaneously we will cut the general mill rate by 4.7 mills. This will result in a net zero effect for all properties currently paying property taxes in Morris.
The only properties that would be affected by this 4.7 mills are all properties exempt from the general mill rate. They will now be paying property taxes at a rate of 4.7 mills as opposed to the rest of properties in town who are paying the full 32.2 mills.
This will bring approximately $25,000.00 into the town budget that would help us in not raising the mill rate on regular properties.
For questions and feedback, use the form below.
The proposal on the table is to add a special services levy of approximately 4.7 mills which would cover police and fire protection services in town. Simultaneously we will cut the general mill rate by 4.7 mills. This will result in a net zero effect for all properties currently paying property taxes in Morris.
The only properties that would be affected by this 4.7 mills are all properties exempt from the general mill rate. They will now be paying property taxes at a rate of 4.7 mills as opposed to the rest of properties in town who are paying the full 32.2 mills.
This will bring approximately $25,000.00 into the town budget that would help us in not raising the mill rate on regular properties.
For questions and feedback, use the form below.
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