Angela Grogan focus on taxes, and housing if elected mayor of Port Hope

Photo courtesy of Angela Grogan Facebook.

By: Dan Jones, Northumberland 89.7 FM News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter.

Affordability, housing and infrastructure are core priorities for Angela Grogan, if elected mayor of Port Hope.

The realtor explained there are significant gaps in revenues into the municipality and she will scrutinize the budget to seek efficiencies.

“I see a lot of gaps in revenues, especially around user fees,” she said. “I think sometimes we tend to want to download that on to the target, which is the taxpayers.”

Grogan points to boat launch fees and other smaller expenses. “We’re feeling it in our pocketbooks when we pay for garbage tags, when we pay for parking. If you over park, you get tickets,” Grogan explained.

Meanwhile she said that visitors to Port Hope are treated differently when using municipal services. She contends that increasing user fees will add to municipal coffers, thus decreasing the tax rate for locals, wanting to examine several different lower-end revenue streams for possible growth.

Grogan is proposing to study what vacant buildings and land there is in Port Hope to determine possible housing options. She wants to work with developers to create a mix of housing stock to meet the needs of the municipality. Grogan stated she wants better public transportation, which will reach residents in Ward 2, believing this to enhance rural connectivity, and tourism opportunities for the entire municipality.

Grogan is not too pleased with the communication from Town Hall officials, accusing it to be lacking. Residents, she claims, are telling her that in some cases there are no responses from the municipality, leaving residents feeling unheard. “We can’t solve every problem, but we can look into every problem, and we can get back to people with answers,” said Grogan.

The election is October 26.