Nanaimo-Info-blog: Tell Nanaimo Council What YOU Think
Tell Nanaimo Council What YOU Think
Have Your Say About YOUR Taxes & Fees!
Now, and for the next several months the average tax paying citizen in the city of Nanaimo has the opportunity to publicly tell city council and city staff whether you think they are spending YOUR tax dollars wisely.
Don’t Need To Register To Address Council
As, in years past from now until the budget is adopted by council next May you may address any issue you have with the proposed financial planned which is now on the city website and will be presented at the next city council meeting.
There is a block of time on city council regular and COW meetings during which any member of the community may take to the podium and tell council what they think of the current proposed plan which will see taxes and fees increase by 4% to residential taxpayers.
Don’t Be Intimidated YOU Pay Their Wages!
The whole process of addressing council is intimidating, I speak from experience and I have had experience speaking in public, but taking the podium can still set your nerves a bit on edge. That is just natural, but use that energy to present your opinions, don’t let it keep you quiet.
You will find council will at least appear to be welcoming and you are not required to know ‘Robert’s Rules of Orders’, it is clear some councilors don’t know them either, and when it comes to public participation, any councilor wanting to strictly enforce them, should be doing something else.
How To Proceed
Take your time to put your thoughts down on paper, and by all means read your presentation to council from your notes, no one expects you to be a polished public speaker, just take breath and talk naturally.
Watch the meetings broadcast on Shaw, or better yet attend them in person a few times before you address council to get a ‘feel for the place’. That fancy auditorium was paid for with YOUR tax dollars, isn’t it time you see what your dollars paid for?
There will be a time at the front of the meeting that the podium will be open for the public to come forward and make their opinions known.
New Year’s Resolution
“This will be the year I get myself informed and engaged in the civic government process, and I will begin by addressing council at every opportunity, including speaking at open council meetings, as is my right in an open and democratic country, of which I have the privilege to belong.
This year I am going to no longer sit back, resolved to the fact my taxes have to keep going up and up to support expenses I simply don’t agree with, I will do my civic duty and PARTICIPATE!”.
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