Dear Editor,
I am not a “member” of the RPA but I do appreciate the information they share. However, I am not naive and I know there are two sides to every story and that truth usually lies somewhere between the two sides.
Reeve Arndt has again “vented” his displeasure with the RPA and the resort residents of the RM of McKillop. The recent “Paid Advertisement” by Mr. Arndt called “Welcome to the Resort Municipality of McKillop” showed not only a lack of respect for the RPA, but a lack of respect for all resort residents/tax payers in the RM. Mr. Arndt’s comments do nothing to rebuild the relationship between the Agricultural and Resort residents within the RM. I have personally spoken to Mr. Arndt in the past. He was never rude and was always willing to talk. I had respect for him at first as he said all the right things, and talked about transparency and wanting to make things better in the RM.
I want to know why Mr. Arndt never addressed the reason why some properties were re-assessed for a second year in a row right before the tax increase? When I contacted the RM office about this, they told me to contact SAMA. I spoke with Tyler from SAMA, who informed me that a request was made from the RM office to have some properties re-assessed again to more closely reflect other resort property values. Our property is not lake front and we don’t have water/sewer service, so our assessed property value shouldn’t be the same as a lakefront home of the same size. When I again contacted the RM office to ask who requested the re-assessments to SAMA I was told by the ex-Administrator there was no paper/email trail to explain who at the RM office requested the re-assessments with SAMA. That’s why I find Mr. Arndt’s comments about transparency and honesty, when it comes the RPA, to be bigoted. Mr. Arndt also claims the RM spent a half a million dollars to maintain the water system in one of the resorts when the development became insolvent, which was part of the reason for the financial issues. Why were only some RM residents (recreational properties) held accountable for a developer failing to complete a project? The Reeve and RM Council approved the development in the first place, and Mr. Arndt is right that it was the RM’s duty to help out, but it should have been an expense shared by all RM residents.
My wife and I live full-time in the RM of McKillop. Our kids attend school in Strasbourg and we feel the RM of McKillop is a great place to live! With the lake being in the RM it offers both recreational opportunities and tourist dollars for the RM. I believe that the relationship between the Agricultural and Recreational residents in the RM of McKillop can be fixed. It will take effort from both sides to work together and improve the RM. It requires honesty, transparency, and neutrality from the Reeve and RM Council and I hope the new RM Council will do just that. I also hope Mr. Arndt will do the right thing and resign as the Reeve as he has shown he can’t be neutral, transparent or professional.
As I stated to you previously, I simply want to see things improve within the RM. Thank you for your time,
-Scott Taylor, proud RM of McKillop resident
Editor’s Note: It is odd that Mr. Taylor is chastising Mr. Arndt for showing a ‘lack of respect to the RPA’ … in my opinion a so-called ‘association’ that HAS no organization; has no apparent leadership; and has no mandate from anyone other than a few virtually anonymous individuals who revel in causing disruption, spreading disinformation, and costing RM220 ratepayers huge sums in legal fees. Add me to the list of those who have no respect for the RPA. And, just to clarify for Mr. Taylor and our readers, the duties and responsibilities of a Reeve are clearly spelled out in the Municipal Act: To be head of the municipal council and to act as Chief Executive Officer of the corporation; To preside over council meetings; To provide leadership to council; To represent the municipality at official functions; To carry out the duties of the Head of Council under this or any other Act; To perform duties of a member of council as outlined in the Municipal Act. A reeve is not supposed to (and should not be expected to) ‘run the RM’. A reeve has only one vote on the RM Council. A reeve does not run the day-to-day, hour-to-hour, minute-to-minute business of the RM. Like the CEO of any large organization, the reeve and council depend on competent, professional, experienced staff to perform the day-to- day operations of the RM, and to provide timely, and accurate information to the elected officials in order that they may make informed decisions. That kind of ‘operational support’ is critical to any elected government.
