Mayor’s Message 2019 Dear Residents, This is a very exciting time to build on the accomplishments of the previous term of Council. The newly elected Council will be working to meet the expectations of fair and balanced representation in our wards. We must be inclusive and make this the time for community-building and tapping into new ideas from every corner of the community. One of the ways we’ll accomplish this is through Council-led meetings designed to uncover and absorb vital local knowledge. We’ll continue with the Mayor’s information sessions/town halls each year to share information and gather feedback. We’re also introducing Committee of the Whole meetings to allow more informal discussions to take place between Council, staff and residents. Some of these meetings may be held in different areas of the municipality and possibly at different times of the day in order to be as inclusive and accessible as we can. I invite everyone to engage, debate, respectfully disagree and bring forward ideas on how to build our municipality together. Communication is a two-way street and we want to hear from you. Please see the back cover for how to contact members of Council. Over the last four years, we’ve seen a major shift in how we run the municipality. We’ve found efficiencies that enabled us to reduce the amount of tax dollars being used to fund day-to-day operating costs by 3%. We’ve invested 68% more tax dollars into maintaining roads, building the right infrastructure so we can grow and improving the facilities you told Council were important to you. I’m also proud that we have done all this while increasing our contribution to reserves by 30%.
This will help to maintain an affordable lifestyle for residents while making sure we’re looking after our assets. It also means we can build new amenities such as parks and recreational areas, continue to look after the environment and care for those in need. We want to tread cautiously, but optimistically, as we move ahead. The provincial government is wrestling with getting its finances in order, and we respect that. Although we’re unsure of the impact this will have on our funding, we’re dedicated to working together to deliver our services. We’re committed to building Kawartha Lakes to be vibrant and attractive to those outside our municipality while continuing to be the kind of place we all want to call home. Sincerely,
Mayor Andy Letham