Need answers to frank questions

Dear editor: This is the second letter intended to help evaluate potential candidates for council. I’d say the vast majority of candidates for council are well intentioned and want to do well, but frank questions are needed to evaluate every potential councillor. Here goes again: 4. What steps will you take annually to ensure that staff at city hall demonstrate continuous improvement in efficiency and effectiveness?

The legislatively required annual report always has great colour photos and nice covers, but sadly, it contains virtually nothing that’s meaningful. Annual reports are to include statements of municipal objectives, and the measures that will be used to determine progress respecting those objectives, for the prior, current and next year.

Did you know the fire department still spends about 10,000 hours on training? While they finally stopped going to mud slides over on West Bench Road, what do we really get for a service that takes up so much of our municipal budget?

A good solution would be to set a target where the cost per capita is lowered by one per cent annually for five years.

5. What performance measures will you work toward to demonstrate that staff and the city actually perform more efficiently and effectively, year over year?

I’ll give credit to the current CFO for putting measures like cost per capita in the budget. But what has the current council done to lower cost annually? I’ll also give credit to the CAO for his efforts to improve the social fabric of the city. But what are the current motives of candidates for council? What about measuring the tax bills, building permit applications processed based on levels of staffing?

6. What is the criteria for the infrastructure deficit calculation and do we really have to change our budgeting and taxation policies?

About two years ago the citizens of the city were informed we had an infrastructure deficit that needed to be addressed. As part of that how much time was spent saying we’ve got about $100 million in the bank right now? How much time was really spent on informing citizens what the impact would be to them? Being a council member means giving citizens meaningful information.

Frank discussions are needed, far more that saying, “Let’s elect Bob!” Wayne Llewellyn

Penticton