Mayor Cam Guthrie feels Monday is not the time to approve a new $67 million new main library.
Guthrie took to his blog to make his point that potential finanicial uncertainties and questions surrounding federal grant money and development charges for the project means the city should delay making its decision.
"Let me be clear, I fully acknowledge the current downtown branch is inadequate. A new library should be built, and on Baker Street," Guthrie wrote on his blog.
"But I’ll be direct and to the point here: We shouldn’t be making a $67 million dollar budget decision on a library this coming Monday."
Council will hold a special meeting Monday night where city staff is recommending a new main library at a cost of $67 million that would be part of the Baker Street redevelopment.
Capital costs would add 0.86 per cent to people's property taxes and operational costs once built could add more, the report says.
"Yet we have a Federal election on October 21st, and we don’t know what the results will be, or what direction a potential party might take on these grants. They might keep them, they might scrap them. Who knows?
"On top of that, the Provincial Government still hasn’t nailed down the replacement of the removed development charges and informed municipalities of how this new funding would work for projects like the downtown library. Furthermore, we’re discussing this without the entire context of our completed 2020 capital budget and the 10 year capital forecast for all projects across our city," Guthrie wrote on his blog.
On his blog, Guthrie illustrates his point by comparing the decision to the movie Christmas Vacation, where the Chevy Chase character agrees to build a fancy new swimming pool for his family, anticipating a Christmas bonus that turns out to be a membership in the Jelly Of The Month Club.
"The report asking for $67 million on Monday is similar to Clark Griswald trying to install his pool without all the funds or information to do it," Guthrie says.
Guthrie realizes there is a passionate push to get the library built. Finally. But he feels fiscal responsibility has to take prudence.
"Some in the 'build it now at all costs' camp don’t empathize with the thousands of people that are living paycheque to paycheque just trying to keep their head above water to support themselves and their family in this city," he said.
"I look forward to the discussion with my council colleagues, staff and the public. But in my opinion, Council should refer this decision to a future date where we have further clarity and a better level of comfort on the unknowns we currently have today."
Ward 6 councillor Mark MacKinnon immediately took to Twitter to support Guthrie's statement.
Monday's meeting starts at 6 p.m. There are 13 delegates on the agenda.
