Posts Tagged ‘Tom Adams’

Town of Oakville wants your Opinion on the Budget

Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011
Screenshot of new online performance tool

Before Oakville tables its proposed 2012 budget in January, the Budget Committee wants to know how satisfied residents are with town programs and services offered—and how important they are to taxpayers.

This pre-budget consultation exercise was designed to engage the public at the onset of the budget process,” explained Budget Committee Chair Councillor Tom Adams. “This input will help us better understand the public’s views on the services the town provides and how they should be funded as we pursue Council’s objective of keeping total property tax increases in-line with inflation.”

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Feedback needed on Town of Oakville tax increase

Tuesday, January 11th, 2011

Staff recommended a 3.32 per cent total tax bill increase to the Budget Committee to protect existing program and service levels at a budget meeting held at Town Hall yesterday. The proposed increase includes previous financial commitments such as road pavement improvements, renovations to Queen Elizabeth Park Community Centre, annualization of costs associated with Sixteen Mile Sports Complex, and the completion of a new transit facility.

“Council is committed to ensuring that residents and businesses receive excellent value for their tax dollars while continuing to receive the programs and services that help make Oakville the most livable town in Canada,” said Oakville Mayor Rob Burton. “Public input will be crucial in providing guidance as to where our tax dollars should be spent.”

Staff is recommending a $311.6 million budget for both operating and capital requirements. The proposed 3.32 per cent tax increase would see residential property taxes increase by $33 per $100,000 of assessment. A home assessed at $400,000 will pay an additional $130 per year or $2.50 per week.

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Councillor Tom Adams Thanks Oakville

Tuesday, October 26th, 2010

I would like thank the residents of northeast Oakville for the opportunity to represent them over the next four years. It is a privilege to be able to work with so many great citizens who want to see the best for their community.

On behalf of all the candidates who took part in the 2010 municipal campaign, I would like to thank our families. Every successful campaign needs the support of friends and volunteers, but it is often the families of the candidates who provide the greatest support during a campaign. In my case, I want to give an extra big thank you to my wife Stephanie who took on all of those extra parenting duties of our three great kids over the last couple of months. That dedication needs to be recognized and appreciated.

[Related: View the 2010 Oakville Election results]

I want to thank the many volunteers and donors who took part in the campaign. You gave up your free time and financial resources to help determine the future direction of our community. I believe it makes all the difference between a mediocre community and a great one.

Over the next four years, I will continue to work to engage with residents. I will continue my work to control growth, build the infrastructure our community needs to be successful into the future and run our community in a fiscally responsible manner.

The campaign has been a wonderful experience in renewing the direction for Oakville. It has served as a check with the residents to continue with many of the directions of our last term and an opportunity to reset or modify slightly our directions in a few others. In every case, I appreciate the feedback residents have given me.

Once again, thank you to the residents of northeast Oakville for the confidence you have shown in me. Thank you to the volunteers who made the campaigns possible. Finally, thank you to the families who supported the candidates throughout the campaign.

- Councillor Tom Adams, Ward 6

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Election Q&A with Tom Adams

Monday, October 18th, 2010

Tom Adams is a candidate for Ward 6 Town & Regional Councillor in The 2010 Oakville Municipal Elections.

Oakville.com: What are the platform issues that you are addressing?

Tom Adams:

I am asking northeast Oakville residents to re-elect me to:

1. Control growth by defending our new official plans that protect our stable neighbourhoods and direct growth to places where the community can accept it,

2. Control taxes by making developers, not taxpayers, cover the costs of infrastructure for new development,

3. Continue to manage tax dollars and debt responsibly and keep tax increases down close to inflation,

4. Support Oakville’s new hospital with non-tax revenue,

5. Clean our air by advocating for and defending regulations that reduce local air pollution and protect our health such as our new Health Protection Air Quality By-law for major emitters,

6. Preserve natural areas with land use designations and defend our new natural heritage systems,

7. Alleviate traffic congestion with a balance of roads and transit to respond to population growth and a plan for new roads that coincide with new development instead of coming after the fact,

8. Maintain our roads, sewers and water systems so that our infrastructure debt is reduced,

9. Work with the community and Halton Regional Police Services to fight vandalism, speeding and other criminal behaviour in our community,

10. Consult with the public with regular meetings as I have been doing for the last four years.

Oakville.com: What is your unique position in this election

Tom Adams: I am fully dedicated to representing the residents of northeast Oakville and managing tax dollars and debt responsibly to keep taxes under control. I do not accept donations from corporations for my campaigns. My record of standing up for residents is clear. This term, I led council to defeat the residential tower project on Oakville Place Drive, to stop the use of paid parking at the Trafalgar medical building and to preserve the school lands on Coronation Drive for an elementary school. Residents can expect the same leadership from me over the next term. I also supported the passing of the interim control bylaw and new rules and regulations for power generation facilities which ultimately gave us the time for the province to cancel the power plant proposal in Oakville.

I also have the confidence of my colleagues. They selected me to lead our budget process and Halton’s Planning and Public Works Committee for two years in a row. In 2010, my most recent year as Budget Chair, we brought in a total property tax increase of just 1.5%. I will continue to keep our taxes increases low into the next term at close to the level of inflation.

I will continue to champion the position that development pays for the costs of new infrastructure. We’ve raised development charges 60% in Oakville and I will continue to defend this policy so that taxpayers don’t get stuck with the costs while developers get huge profits.

I will support directing funds towards infrastructure maintenance and improvements to our transportation system. We need a balance of roads and transit to handle the pressures of the population growth in the region.

I currently participate on 15 committees and boards of directors and haven’t missed a single town council meeting in four years. I am experienced, skilled and dedicated.

I am also the only candidate who lives in ward 6. I have lived in northeast Oakville for 12 years with my family. I know the streets and neighbourhoods, because I live here with the residents of northeast Oakville.

Oakville.com: What do voters need to know that will compel them to vote for YOU?

Tom Adams: I am an energetic, dedicated professional. I live in northeast Oakville with my wife and three children. I won’t just be visiting from south Oakville. Residents can count on me to represent them.

My background includes a Masters in Business Administration from McMaster University, an engineering degree from the University of Ottawa and eight years of experience with BMO Financial Group where I was a senior risk manager before dedicating myself to full-time council duties.

I’ve represented northeast Oakville since 2003. If residents want an experienced, skilled and dedicated representative, they should re-elect me on October 25th.

The 2010 Oakville Municipal election will be held on October 25, 2010. Visit our special Oakville election 2010 section for the latest election news, candidate profiles and more.

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Town of Oakville budget out of control?

Friday, September 10th, 2010

With the municipal election nearing, Oakville.com decided we would invest some time discussing how the Town of Oakville’s budget works.

After all, we are citizens of Oakville and this information might give you more reason to vote this election. Visit our special Oakville election section for the latest election news, candidate profiles and more.

Ward 6 Regional and Town Councillor Tom Adams – who is the Chair of the Town’s Budget Committee – gave Oakville.com a crash course on “Budget 101.”

What is it?

The town’s entire budget is split into two portions – first being the “capital” budget, and then the “operating” budget.

“The capital budget deals with infrastructure or one-time hard expenses,” Adams said. “These are expenses that deal with purchasing a building, or something that will last for many years. It’s not an expense like a salary. It’s like buying a piece of equipment, a building or a physical thing.”

The operating budget of the town funds the annual expenses of operating and maintaining the services to the citizens of Oakville.

The capital budget consists of $100-million, the operating budget stands at $200-million, making the Town’s total budget $300-million.

“There is some overlap,” Councillor Adam’s said. “There are some elements of the operating budget that will go into capital expenses. We’ll levy some amount every year and some of it will go to the capital to renew.”

Does it increase every year?

The Town of Oakville is a growing community, and as it grows new services are needed to fulfill the needs of the community.

“Over time you would see the budget increase in terms of its total amount because the town in growing,” Adams said.

“Inflation affects the costs of the town’s operating budget, and that goes for salaries as well as our materials.”

“You’ll see an increase that occurs that isn’t related to a change of service level, and is not related to a change in the size of the municipality, but is related to a general increase in operating costs.”

Councillor Adams used town staff’s union agreement – a 3 per cent wage increase on an annual basis – as an example of how the town’s operating budget could increase.

What about large expenses?

As for large purchases – such as the new hospital in Oakville – the town has a variety of ways they can pay for something like this.

“For any large capital purchase you have the opportunity to create a reserve in advance. It could be drawn down at the time of the construction, or the purchase of whatever it is.

“Or you can create debenture that funds the capital expense and is paid off over a period of time,” he said.

While the town does take on debt for a variety of reasons – Oakville is below the provincially imposed limit – which is 25 per cent of revenue.

“We are nowhere near the provincial limit,” Adams said. “The town has adopted policies on tax supported debt, that the debt shouldn’t exceed 6 and a quarter per cent of revenue funds.”

“The town is in a very strong financial position. We have a Triple A credit rating. We have the best credit rating available.”

“The core message is that rate of increases that we’ve had in our taxes has been similar to that has been imposed by previous councils.”

The 2010 Oakville Municipal election will be held on October 25, 2010. Visit our special Oakville election section for the latest election news, candidate profiles and more.

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