Penticton citizens got a glimpse today at how much the controversy over leasing part of Skaha Lake Park cost taxpayers.
Just negotiating and drafting the four revised agreements with Trio Marine Group cost $34,500, according to the city’s corporate officer, Dana Schmidt.
That doesn’t include costs incurred by the two BC Supreme Court challenges filed against the city and Trio by taxpayer groups over the course of the 18-month controversy.
The agreements, which were signed in December, replaced the 2015 agreements that leased a chunk of Skaha Lake Park to Trio, where they intended to build a commercial waterslide complex in the public park.
More: Councillor calls for referendum on Skaha Park issue
In November 2016, while trying to get the public support for renegotiated agreements, city hall refused to release any legal costs relating to the deal and the agreements. At the time, Mayor Andrew Jakubeit said, the city’s legal bill is more than what a referendum would have cost (about $35,000), but hadn’t yet exceeded $100,000.
By comparison, the Save Skaha Park Society—which filed one of the civil suits—said they spent $17,511 as of August 31, 2016.
More: Save Skaha Park drops lawsuit
Overall legal expenses for the city were down in 2016 ($448,420) compared to 2015 ($619,390). The largest line item in both years was for insurance claims and settlements, which is projected to be $254,380 for 2016.
That’s less than the $449,900 incurred in 2015 but much higher than $45,050 in 2013 and $35,960 in 2014.
“This is a result of various legal claims,” said director of finance Jim Bauer, referencing trip and fall claims against the city. “We did face a significant number of claims in 2015 and 2016, those years represent the estimated costs of a variety of settlements.”