Penticton taxpayers, thankfully the commercialization of your city parks has awakened many citizens of Penticton.
You elected these pro business councillor’s and you must never make this mistake again, residential taxpayers have lost representation at the council table. Residential taxpayers need to wake up and form some form of residential watch dog organization to fight City Hall. We need to run a slate of fair minded council members in the next election. Many of the policies adopted by the current members of council will need to be reversed or amended by a fair minded council in the future.
Demand that every current council member explains to you how the tax burden is allocated today and how they envision that the tax burden will be allocated after the next five years. Demand an answer from each council member. Demand that council meets with the citizens prior to signing contentious city issues. Another three years of the current dictatorial council must be stopped now.
Mayor Jakubeit and each current councillor needs to answer to their conscience, have we been honest with the residential taxpayers of Penticton? If council cannot answer in the affirmative, then reverse your current stances on matters that have a direct consequence to the citizens of Penticton.
Immediately, the citizens need to force council to fund a taxpayers group to the tune of $100,000 to hire a chairman, pay a staff member, pay legal fees and set up an office. If we sit back and do nothing, council will download further property taxes onto the backs of residential taxpayers. Many taxpayers cannot afford any further down loading of the property tax burden from the business and commercial property tax owners. We need to elect councillors that understand a fair balance of allocating the tax burden.
These pro business councillors are intent on screwing the residential taxpayers at every turn. The tax multiplier must be explained in detail to the residential taxpayers. The sharing of the costs on the downtown core revitalization needs to be explained by competent bureaucrats from City Hall. The cost to be borne by residential taxpayers on the Economic Investment Zones needs to be explained in detail to the residents. Obviously, the current council is blind to the rights of residential taxpayers.
Demand a change from the current dictatorial council or demand their resignation.
Mayor Jakubeit, Councillor’s Konanz, Sentes, Martin, Picton, Sayeed and Campbell need to come out of hiding and explain why they feel they have been fair and honest with the residential taxpayers in Penticton on all issues.
All councillors need to explain their immense dislike of residential taxpayers and their never ending onslaught on the bank accounts of residential taxpayers.
Ted Wiltse
Penticton