Mayor wants more cops

More police officers, better parks maintenance and a new heritage registry are on Penticton city council’s wish-list for the 2021 budget — a financial plan that already has a $5-million hole in it.

Council at its meeting today will receive budget-related notices of motion from four members. The motions themselves are scheduled to be debated Sept. 15. Those that pass will be forwarded to staff to include in the draft 2021 budget that will be presented to council for consideration in November.

The spending proposals clash with repeated warnings from city staff about a projected $5-million hit to revenues next year as a result of the pandemic.

The eight notices of motion are:

Coun. Julius Bloomfield:

That council direct staff to rely on Midgard Consulting’s 2020 report titled “City of Penticton Generation Study” and the 2011 City of Penticton Climate Action Plan to investigate the various options for making grant applications for the Clean BC Community Fund in time for the Nov. 12. Mayor John Vassilaki:

1. That council include funds in the 2021 budget for two additional RCMP members.

2. That council include funds in the 2021 budget for two additional bylaw enforcement officers and increase the hours of bylaw operations to 2 a.m., seven days a week.

Coun. Frank Regehr:

1. That council direct staff to bring back an amendment to the Development Cost Charges Bylaw that increases all non-park) DCCs by 40% on Jan. 1, 2021.

2. That council direct staff to bring back a bylaw that repeals Development Cost Charges Reduction Bylaw 2010-11 and preserves DCC reductions for affordable housing.

Coun. Judy Sentes:

1. That council include funds in the 2021 budget for a review and development of a City of Penticton heritage registry program.

2. That council include funds in the 2021 budget for a plan to address the public washroom safety concerns, this may include security or an attendant.

3. That council include funds in the 2021 budget for improved garbage receptacles and maintenance in city parks.

The notices of motion, along with other items on what is a light agenda, will be discussed during council’s 1 p.m. meeting.

The group will reconvene at 6 p.m. for public hearings on a pair of development proposals, one of which has already incurred neighbours’ wrath.

The owner of 2644 South Main St. is applying for the rezoning necessary to put up an eight-unit townhouse on the property, which previously hosted just one singlefamily dwelling.

Included in the agenda package are five letters and a 40-name petition, all of them opposed to the rezoning. Opponents’ concerns centre on a lack of parking, increased traffic and over-densification of the neighbourhood.

The other public hearing concerns a rezoning request for 425 Douglas Ave. that would permit construction of duplexes on the lot, which is also being eyed for subdivision.

All of the meetings can be viewed live at www. penticton. ca.