[Blahgzilla]

Transit Budget Includes $3 Park-n-Ride Fee
CHQR Newsroom
11/19/2008


Calgary Transit was front and centre as city council continued its budget talks Wednesday morning.
An attempt to remove a $3 a day fee to park in transit lots was defeated, as city council expressed concerns about the loss of $6 million in revenue.
Also in the budget, there's an extra 150,000 hours of transit service next year. Alderman Andre Chabot tried to chop that by 35,000 hours but it failed in a close vote.
His proposal would trim just over $1 million from the budget.
Opponents say given the economic downturn, more people will turn to Transit and service can't be reduced.
Alderman Ric McIver voted for the cut even though it would affect express bus service to the deep southeast that he represents.
"This is sometimes, we're running a big business and sometimes you when you're doing that, you have to have the stomach to make difficult decisions."
A move to cut Transit cleaning staff worth $600,000 was also defeated.


Calgary City Council Passes Budget
CHQR Newsroom
11/20/2008


Calgary city council has passed the budget 11-4, with aldermen Diane Colley-Urqhart, Andre Chabot, Joe Connelly and Ric McIver voting against it. The property tax increase for 2009 was whittled down to 5.3 per cent - a major reduction from the 9.6 per cent council started with.
Mayor Dave Bronconnier says the impact on the average home owner will be an extra $55 a year.
Alderman McIver tried to send the document back to administration to get the number down to 4.5 per cent.
That was met by gasps by some who questioned the move considering the four days of work they put in to get the property tax hike down to what they believe will be a more palatable level for Calgarians.
City council passed the budget just after 5 p.m. Thursday.


In thinking who I should pick as this week's Douchebag of the Week, I figured that rather than just one, I'd pick a group, specifically, the municipal mavens at The City of Calgary.

There were so many to choose from that I figured I'd just lump 'em all together, rather than name individual douchebags. There are however some exceptions, such as Ald. Ric "Dr.No" MacIver, who has done the city a great service by his level-headedness and common sense. He and three others Aldermen, Andre Chabot, Joe Connelly and Diane Colley Urquhart, were the only Aldermen to vote against the proposed budget in order that it undergo further review.


Then there are the others, the one's who voted to bring in this new three year budget (given the current economic climate, we should be looking at ANNUAL budgets)
Ald. Andre Chabot
Ald. Dale Hodges
Ald. Brian Pincott
Ald. Gord Lowe
Ald. Ray Jones
Ald. Jim Stevenson
Ald. John Mar
Ald. Linda Fox-Mellway
Ald. Bob Hawkesworth
Ald. Druh Farrell
Ald. Joe Ceci

Out of this group, there are some that stand-out as douchebags of distinction this week after pledging to vote against the budget, and then voted FOR it. Jim Stevenson, Ray Jones, John Mar and Dale Hodges, you guys are BIG douchebags.

We also get news this week that Calgary Transit will continue to charge a $3.50 fee at Park and Ride facilities located on land owned by the city. Transit says it cannot afford to lose the $6 million a year this fee generates. Holy shit, a department that doesn't want to lose funding, big surprise. Meantime, the average rider still has to suffer through delays and break-downs along with several other Transit customers. This charge will do nothing to help motivate commuters to use transit, and may be the difference for some between driving, or taking transit to work.

Yet another tax grab.

As for his worship, Mayor Dave Bronconnier, I gotta say, I do not agree with many of your decisions, and have to say that up to this point, based solely on your policies, you rate a douchebag.

That being said, I recently sent e-mails to the mayor and a number of aldermen regarding the budget, and the ONLY response I got back was from the mayor's office. No it wasn't a phone call, but a form e-mail sent from the mayor's assistant at least tells me he gets it. This being said, I must temper my previous assertion that his worship's policies make him a political douchebag.

As for the rest of you that didn't respond, (you know who you are!), you're all DOUCHEBAGS!!!!!!

[mtbr]

you forgot to mention an adult monthly pass goes to 83 from 75

your garbage and recycling fee will also be an additional 12 bucks a month.

city hall is full of LIBERAL career douchbags

[Blahgzilla]

It's never ending.

[llama66]

no city offers free parking, you know Calgary is the most expensive city in North America to park a car in. Get over it. And with the Monthly passes going up, do you think that may have something to do with more routes? and the to help fund the WLRT?

[Blahgzilla]

llama66 llama66:

no city offers free parking, you know Calgary is the most expensive city in North America to park a car in. Get over it. And with the Monthly passes going up, do you think that may have something to do with more routes? and the to help fund the WLRT?

Except that the west LRT will be funded through federal and provincial infrastructure dollars.

[llama66]

Just as the rest of the system was a well, will the Federal and Provincial monies also pay for the maintenance of the WLRT perpetually?

[mtbr]

llama66 llama66:

no city offers free parking, you know Calgary is the most expensive city in North America to park a car in. Get over it. And with the Monthly passes going up, do you think that may have something to do with more routes? and the to help fund the WLRT?

no it's easier to jack up the price of the monthly pass than try to make an effort and collect a fare from all passengers. The honor system they use is a pathetic joke. Other cities also have coin counters on their fare boxes so they can't be short changed. If transit actually collected the money their supposed to the fares wouldn't be climbing so fast. Transit management gets away with so much and this useless city council turns a blind eye.

Senior Citizens still pay a whopping 35 bucks a year for a pass.(hasn't gone up in 20 years) Every post secondary student in this town rides for next to nothing as that stupid Upass program only costs them 75 or 80 bucks for the whole semester. Transit management needs to get flushed like a plugged toilet.

The only good thing they've done was institute the parking fee, know the SOBs from out of town will have to start contributing to the system instead of the free ride they've been getting.

[bootlegga]

llama66 llama66:

no city offers free parking, you know Calgary is the most expensive city in North America to park a car in. Get over it. And with the Monthly passes going up, do you think that may have something to do with more routes? and the to help fund the WLRT?

Not true. The park and ride lots on Edmonton's LRT line are free. Just don't tell our officials that they can charge or we'll get dinged too!

[mtbr]

City council in Calgary is also considering a municipal car tax, just like in Toronto I think we should ship these Liberal bastards to Toronto.

[mtbr]

and a friggen land transfer tax