A rich irony, Stouffville Free PressLetter November 2013, by Arnold Neufeldt-Fast

We are a wealthy community. In September, Statistics Canada released new income data for Whitchurch-Stouffville from the 2011 National Household Survey. Our median family income in 2010 was $102,540$21,553 higher than the median Ontario family. Moreover, local family incomes rose slightly higher than the national inflation rate over the past ten years (22%). Most of us have done very well.But in at least two areas of the public realm weve become decidedly poorer: library and transit. In 2000, a family of three contributed $84 toward the operation of the towns public library through municipal taxes; by 2010 it dropped by $15. As we gave less, the cost of materials mushroomed. In 2010 alone the core material costs (e.g., a bag of books and magazines) rose 23%, according to our Library CEO. The library became the town beggar in an otherwise well-to-do community. Its percentage of the town operating budget declined from 5.1% in 2004to 2% in 2011. The recurring message in the Library Boards minutes over the past decade has been that the town cannot afford it (i.e., average public library support). Even this year councillors demanded further library efficiencies. Our per capita library funding (and staffing) is now 44% below the provincial average for communities our size. That puts us in last place despite our wealth. Ironically, this happened while the town was explicitly trying to attract knowledge-based industries and the creative class. Our Annual Book Salea means to bring in a few extra dollars for basicsspeaks volumes about how poor we have become. One student leader told me she goes to Markhams Angus Glen library for her research, as does my wife for her book club items.A similar story can be told about public transit (YRT buses). Recent drastic cuts have impacted the social life and employment options for our youth (see their Twitter comments!), hurt the budgets of families (an extra car for some), inconvenienced seniors and the working poor dependent on public transit, and hindered growth in Stouffvilles service sector (which has indicated difficulty in attracting and retaining low-wage employees in town).As our wealth increased, taxpayer language disconnected from healthy community-building and a higher calling as citizens has left us literally poorer in at least two realms. Thats worth a discussion as we approach the next municipal election.