Nobody enjoys being slapped twice in the face, but it beats getting a third backhander across your rapidly reddening cheek.

Sadly, Calgarians aren’t even allowed that respite. We just received the third slap, courtesy of the massive rate hikes approved by the increasingly tone-deaf folk who populate city council.

This latest insult can be traced to a provincial decision in 2013, when the civic election calendar was changed so an elected mayor and 14 councillors would serve four-year terms, instead of the customary three.

But why did that decision result in more pain for ratepayers? Because — surprise, surprise — at budget time there’s a huge difference at city hall when those numbers are crunched leading into an election year. Suddenly, prudence makes her appearance, after most citizens and businesses assumed she was gone for good.

So, getting one reprieve out of three is obviously preferable to being slapped three times in a row with unconscionable demands for our hard-earned cash, before finally catching a break on that fourth go-round, when council finally puts future self-interest ahead of meekly succumbing to a city administration addicted to plundering our pockets.

The mayor is already setting the stage for a........

© Calgary Herald