What have residents of the city really received from the last city council?
At least one resident of the city has recently written saying they don’t support higher non-resident user fees for our recreation and other facilities.
And, yet, as far back as 2012, the city’s own satisfaction survey said 63 per cent of residents favoured that as among the solutions to ease costs for residents.
Some people also may not remember, but in 2013 a staff report went to council asking for support to develop a cost-sharing arrangement on the recreation centre.
That was approved and between 2014 and 2018, nothing has happened.
Except of course the introduction of a new environmental property tax where approximately $250,000 annually is sent to the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen and not one thin dime has come back to the city of Penticton for a single project.
It’s reported that approximately 20 per cent of the users of the recreation centre alone are non-resident, and that will only increase with any new development outside of city limits.
We need councillors that are willing to find new solutions for cost sharing, partnerships, as many other communities have done by cost sharing relationships with regional districts.
Examples of that would include Campbell River (arena funding shared with regional district Area D); North Cowichan (arena funding shared with City of Duncan) and Area E (Langford arena funded through a recreation commission of six municipalities); and Vernon (the new Kal Tire Arena shared with Coldstream and Areas B and C).
The “same old, same old” of the past is not going to move us forward.
Should you question potential councillors positions on any issues, why not pick up the phone and get more information? I am sure that any one of the candidates would be pleased to talk to you.
Ed Coughman
Penticton