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I recieved this email today and thought I should share it with my fellow ebrandoners for your opinions. I do not know the gentleman who wrote it, it was forwarded to me from a friend.  
 
Dear Mayor, Councillors and others:  
 
Have you ever heard it said that if Brandon could only attract more business, industry and residential development to our city, it would broaden the property tax base and take the pressure off the rate payers? That if we could just get more growth in these areas, that taxes could, in fact, go down?  
 
Well, Brandon has had unprecedented growth over the past three years. More growth in fact, in the past three years, than in the previous thirty.  
Yet the city of Brandon is proposing tax increases of 5.2% next year and 7.2% the following year. This, after announcing large increases in water rates. All of these well beyond the rate of inflation.  
 
Although there are many other points I could make directly regarding these proposed increases, the above information alone is enough for me to conclude that you, my friends, are not doing your job. Mr. Mayor and City Councillors, you are failing the citizens of Brandon if these proposed increases go ahead, and I am doing my very best to make sure everyone in the city knows this.  
 
Sincerely,  
Brian E. Hadley