Buffet: Developers need to pay their fair share of infrastructure costs

CANDIDATE: LYNDA BUFFET

RUNNING FOR: COUNCILLOR

My Bio: Lynda Buffett

•  Resident of Shelburne for 20 years

•  Actively volunteer and serve as a long time member of the Shelburne Rotary Club

• Currently serve on Town Council “appointed” committees

•  Work in downtown Shelburne as a Real Estate Agent for Royal Le Page RCR Realty

•  Prior to moving to Shelburne, served on municipal council in the Town of Whitby

My decision to run in this election began with the prospect of our town losing Fiddle Park to developers. The present Council looked to find a “quick fix” with the sale of the park, hoping to recoup $8 million to fund our major infrastructure needs.

The Question: Since this sale is not going ahead, who will be paying for these major financial infrastructure investments?

The Answer: Having faced identical growth-related challenges as a former municipal councillor, with growth outpacing infrastructure needs then, I can say with certainty that the answer is clear: You and I, as taxpayers will pay with major tax increases to cover new added long term debt, service level reductions, the possibility of losing our local police services and the postponement of new recreational needs for our growing town, if we don't find an alternative in time.

I've said before that growth doesn't pay for growth, but I do believe that developers still have to contribute their fair share towards these infrastructure needs, in order that as a town, we benefit from growth and can enjoy a good quality of life.

Currently Shelburne receives from developers approx $17,000 for each single family home built and that covers a wide range of capital expenses, but by comparison, Shelburne has the lowest levy charged of any municipality within a 20 minute radius.

The highest levy paid to build a new home is in the Allison area where there is plenty of industrial assessment from Honda. They receive $37,000 per home. The resulting high levy has not slowed growth and these new homes are priced marginally higher than comparable new homes in Shelburne, proving to any critics that developers will pay whatever a community levies (based on studies supporting these costs) because we are running out of land to develop!

With 2 large housing developments starting later next year, the next new council will have undertake a review of our Development Charges, since we have a very limited “window of opportunity” to correct this shortfall and pass a new bylaw in time to give us the capital we need, so this process needs to begin almost immediately.

Further we need to establish a New Strategic Plan to replace the last one completed over 12 years ago, since we are no longer the same town we once were and we have new priorities.

We must invest to attract new commercial/industrial development to balance out our tax base.

And finally council must help to initiate and/or partner with private sector investors to redevelop our downtown & provide more affordable housing alternatives, while maintaining our heritage.