As we go through life, we make all sorts of decisions.
Some of these involve short-term goals and others, long-term goals. Many of these involve money or the spending of same. Having said that, it is very difficult to understand the financial programs of our city pundits. Much of their financial planning or seemingly the lack thereof seems to come from self-serving motives.
Evidence of this has come to the fore recently. Several incidents have been noted. They range from the arbitrated settlement of firefighter’s salaries; the Skaha Lake Park boondoggle; the dismissal of volunteers at the South Okanagan Events Centre and replacing them with paid security and the 100 block $400,000 to $500,000 light program. The big question here is, if you don’t have the money, how do you pay for the goods? There is no credit card or revolving payment plan in place.
It seems that the city does not like the arbitrated (and deserved) settlement proposal for firefighter’s salaries and they want to claw back some funds. Perhaps some of the proposed fund claw back could pay for the proposed lighting project downtown or the paid security at SOEC. Creative budgeting or what?
Recently, references to biodiversity have been made alluding to various local areas, Skaha Park, being one of them. There are currently birds aplenty encompassing many varieties. However, there are no sightings of dodo birds that we are aware of.
The last recorded sighting of a specific bird, then found mainly in Madagascar, was in 1662. That bird was the dodo bird. I have contacted the Audubon Society to see if there is any evidence of its existence here locally. Still waiting for a response.
The SOEC let down; dismissal, call it what you will, firing of volunteers, is another example of increasing efficiency by spending money that seems to be a bone of contention these days. How will paid security be more efficient than dedicated volunteers? Is the thinking that throwing money at things makes things run more smoothly? The proposed returning process could take months to accomplish based on city performance in other areas. Why should taxpayers, again be on the hook for some half-baked pipe dream of the city?
The proposed lighting project will not benefit taxpayers. However, it will benefit the north end City Hall area. Save your money, you say, you so desperately need. What about issues like the foodbank and the homeless? This is probably money allocated to something most taxpayers might not be averse to.
Ron Barillaro
Penticton