Re: Ms. Piche’s letter titled “Tax increases not warranted” (St. Albert Gazette, Jan. 4) is long on innuendo and rather short on specifics. I believe the county tax increase you reference is a 1.31 per cent increase. That equates to an approximate $25 increase for the average household for the year.
With all the budget has to cover, including the new provincial carbon tax, I cannot imagine much of a raise for county employees beyond a nominal cost of living allowance. It might be of interest to readers to know, the wages of Sturgeon County employees are at the 75th percentile of other regional county employee wages. Further, taxes in Sturgeon County have historically been the lowest in the region and are, I believe, either the lowest or second lowest in the region, currently. The wages for county employees cannot be allowed to go any lower as to do so would make it extremely difficult to attract the highly qualified worker.
Unfortunately, jobs have been lost all over this province but that is not exclusive to nor the fault of Sturgeon County, as your letter tries to suggest.
In my opinion, Mayor Tom Flynn and most county councillors are doing a very commendable job, which I hope the majority of sensible county voters will recognize in the next election.
Byron Simpson, Sturgeon County
