Your say on spending
Council listening to feedback from residents as part of budget deliberations
Citizen feedback was first on the agenda as Penticton City council began three full days of budget deliberations, Tuesday morning. The sessions began with an open mic inviting residents to comment on what they’d like to see prioritized in the city’s budget.
Resident Dan Foster championed sidewalks, transit and paid parking. He noted with a major expansion at Penticton Regional Hospital there’s “no safe way” to walk between Warren Avenue and Government Street.
The new subdivision at Sendero Canyon and forthcoming development The Ridge will have no sidewalks between Sunset Place and Allison Street. He said better transit is needed, along with bylaw enforcement — which he believes would be revenue neutral.
He also noted new two-hour free parking stalls in the 100 block of Main Street, which traditionally had been metered.
“You’re under no obligation to provide a free spot,” Foster said.
Frank Conci, speaking on behalf of the industrial area of Penticton, championed a fair business tax multiplier, noting, “businesses are vital to the well-being of the community.”
Conci said small- to medium-sized enterprises face challenges in Penticton, compared with Kelowna or larger centres, due to transportation limitations.
He praised city staff, however, for reducing the amount of red tape over the years.
“Starting a business here is still very challenging and very expensive,” he added.
Conci would like to see an economy that doesn’t rely on seniors and tourism and warned council about accumulating too much debt.
“It’s like running up credit-card debt,” he said. “It will be our kids and grandkids who will have to pay it off.”
Professional accountant Frank Regehr, who worked most of his career for school districts and municipal governments, pointed out an inaccuracy in an economic report on the financial viability of the South Okanagan Events Centre.
More than $2 million of tax revenue was listed as a line item, but when broken down only $475,000 is municipal tax with the remainder split between the province and federal governments.
Mayor Andrew Jakubeit said the error will be corrected online and in all future correspondence.
“It was taken out of context and it should have been removed from the report,” Jakubeit said.
Resident Lila Parsons objected to the proposed five per cent tax increase, stating taxes will have gone up 10 per cent in two years and most residents can’t afford that.
Parsons gets her news from The Herald and the Western Advertiser, in particular from letters to the editor, and said city advertisements are far too vague. She suggested spending the allocated $400,000 on communications in a two-way split between the two print outlets so both can hire additional staff and expand coverage of city hall.
Parsons also demanded a minimum of three polling stations plus mobile polls for the 2018 municipal election, noting the poorly-run election in 2014.
Lynn Kelsey, a regular at council meetings, said housing affordability and improved transit appear to remain status quo.
“My mom can’t get to church on Sundays and she lives in The Concorde, which is very accessible,” Kelsey said.
On affordable housing, Kelsey noted: “If you want people to move and live here forever, think about something other than a $400,000 half-duplex as being affordable.”
Downtown Penticton Association executive director Lynn Allin, speaking on behalf of merchants in the 300 block of Main Street, hopes the revitalization of that city block will remain a priority with council.
Council is anticipating an increase of five per cent on taxes. Chief financial officer Jim Bauer said depending on which model council chooses, it will be an average increase of between $96 and $105 per household annually — $113 to $303 for businesses.
Of the big ticket items proposed, $1.1 million is contractual due to labour costs, police and fire in particular. The city is also considering $463,000 in additional staffing costs plus a sizable increase for economic development.
Budgets sessions resume this morning at City Hall at 9 a.m.
The sessions are open to the public and can be viewed on the city’s website: www.penticton.ca.