Viewpoint
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“ Municipal concerns they expressed in 1967 were really quite similar to some of the concerns that AMCTO members and others highlight today .”
6 Q1 2017 www . amcto . com
While much has changed for those professionals over the last 50 years , a glance through that first edition of the Municipal Monitor reveals that municipal concerns they expressed in 1967 were really quite similar to some of the concerns that AMCTO members and others highlight today . Consider the following excerpt from the first edition :
“ Give us your thoughts on Licenses . Do you believe we should have so many licenses ? Should people be taxed for dogs , tobacco , cigarettes , etc ., when no service is given ? Should merchants be licensed for signs when they pay a business tax ?
“ How do you keep track of your Licensees ? Do you have a real system of records , or could it be improved ? Let us know — maybe you could help someone else , or they could help you . Maybe we could put you in touch with someone .
“ Are you happy about your Centennial Projects , or is it a one-man show ? What would you do if another such occasion should arise ?
“ What are your thoughts on Planning – is it necessary ? If so , how do you get around the red tape ?
“ Why does the Provincial Government keep their fingers on us all the time , like an old mother hen , and we are almost as bad , if not worse ? Nobody seems to be able to amuse themselves , from a four-year-old , so Mother can bowl , to the Old-Age Pensioner who wants to play checkers , but has to have somebody make the arrangements . This all costs money ! Where do we stop and get back to earth ?”
Municipal licensing , records management , special celebration projects , land use planning , provincial / municipal relationships , fiscal sustainability — with some minor adjustments to the wording to reflect today ’ s context , the content of that 1967 publication could just as easily be applied to an article written today . Almost a bit scary isn ’ t it ?
So , thank you to the 1967 editorial board ( Donald Briault , John Foy , Webb McFarland and Durward Preston ) for their commitment to making the Municipal Monitor a success . Fifty years later , the Municipal Monitor is still going strong . Who knows what it will be by 2067 ?