Guest column: More clarity needed on how Windsor spends tax dollars

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Written by: Kirk Munroe

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The fall budget season is coming to an end for local governments. No surprises. We’ve seen this movie before.

It begins with the announcement of a possible major budget increase. Local politicians express shock and dismay, promising to reduce fat. And lo and behold, the proposed budget was reduced.

But residents still have to accept a significant tax increase from the previous year. Although people are happy that the increase is less than the opening salvo, they grumble.

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Politicians salute taxpayers for a job well done. But did they?

Residents need to have full information to evaluate whether elected public officials are doing their jobs well. Otherwise we will go blind.

Simply put, it is impossible for us to evaluate the performance of our picks without full information; It is impossible to hold politicians accountable for their actions, including collecting and spending taxpayer money. To repeat the slogan of The Washington Post, one of the leading American newspapers: “Democracy Dies in Darkness.”

Of all levels of government, local governments are the most visible to ordinary people. The actions of local governments are felt directly: from hockey arena construction and maintenance to land use restrictions, garbage collection, fire protection, parking regulations and property tax assessments.

For this reason, citizens need to ask and even demand that information about the actions taken on our behalf be disclosed. This is especially true when the law involves spending money (taxpayers’ money, our money).

The need for constant vigilance in keeping our local governments open is especially true today, when local media is stagnant and many small-town county newspapers are dead.

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In short, there are fewer “eyes” on local politicians to keep the public informed about what is going on and how their money is being spent.

There was an announcement recently: end of legal battle Between the City of Windsor and a developer. Politicians welcomed this good news with joy. But was it?

I certainly agree that the end of a case is almost always good news, but the information needed to reach an informed conclusion always includes: What were the legal costs? More importantly, was any money exchanged to settle the case? Did the municipality pay the developer? If so, how much?

If the legal costs were reasonable and little or no payment was made to settle the case, then I too will join in the applause. However, if legal costs are high, a payment is made to end the case, and this payment is large, such a statement may lead to criticism.

But we don’t know; That’s the point. Monetary information should have been disclosed with the initial announcement. When the Windsor Star asked about it, it was denied. From where?

Why can’t the city release this kind of information, which would naturally allow people to decide for themselves whether this is good news or not?

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I’m not suggesting that the city is violating some law. That’s not my point. I advocate good government, and to me good government means open government. Our elected public officials are entrusted with taxpayers’ money and our money.

Whether wise or not, how they spend the money should be public. This is good government. This is democracy.

There is no need for misrepresentations to paint a false picture. Whether intentional or not, ignoring material facts can distort the real picture.

Local governments should therefore be careful to ensure that all material facts are disclosed when publicizing their actions or achievements. And full disclosure must be made at the time of the announcement.

There should be no informative hide and seek games. There must be open government.

The people have no right to less.

Kirk Munroe is a retired Windsor Superior Court judge and former longtime criminal defense attorney. He lives in Kingsville.

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