Come on Brockton, it's time to join the big kids
Lindsey Kuglin It's time to join the Big Kids Club. My husband and I are finally looking for a place to call our own. We recently began our search for our first house.

After several years of renting, we've decided to stop throwing our money away, and start building up some equity.

Combined, we've spent over $40,000 on rent in the last five years! That cash would be a nice down payment. Too bad it's already been flushed.

Well, I guess it's all good for us. We had good excuses to rent, like we were students, living away from home for the first time, that we were newlyweds, et cetera. But now that we've found our little place in the world, it's time to settle down, grow some roots. I learned a lot from my sometime favourite author Mordecai Richler, and one thing he taught me is that a man without land is nobody. Well, maybe "nobody" is a little harsh, but at least a landowner has something to call his, or her own, has some assets, and something to leave to the generations after them.

So, what excuse does the municipality of Brockton have for renting the space for their municipal office?

The $40,000 Greg and I spent on rent in the last five years (mostly in the Greater Toronto Area, mind you, where housing is exorbitant) doesn't seem that bad when you realize the municipal office here in Walkerton costs more than that each year, just in rent.

I know it's easy for an outsider to come in and criticize, (just ask my friend who kept dating the same guy, despite how many times I told her he was bad for her), but come on - property isn't exactly unaffordable in Walkerton.

So I pose the question: why is the municipality renting their office space?

As far as I know, they moved out of Victoria Jubilee Hall on Oct. 31, 1994, which means almost $350,000, and counting of taxpayers' money has been blown.

I realize that the land the municipality currently owns (former police station, and former fire hall) would not accommodate the space they require, but since they've been put up for sale, they should net about $329,000 if they get the list price. That's a good chunk of change to put towards a new piece of land. Why not? Sell what you don't need, take the profit, and buy something of use. The land will only appreciate in value.

With the money they've already spent, they could have probably paid for their own municipal building, and by now they'd be making money, or at least, not spending rental payments. But no, renting those offices costs $3,369 a month forever, with no gain, but a place to put their printers.

When Greg and I first got married, we had no idea where we would end up, so we rented for the first little while to see where we fit in without having to be tied down with mortgage payments, and the rest of the responsibilities that come with owning a home. But where is the municipality going?

I'm not an expert on municipal politics, but I'm pretty sure they have to hang around the area.

They may as well pull up a chair and stay a while. Stop throwing away money. Join the Big Kids Club.