Region should be one city
West Kelowna’s CAO Jim Zaffino says there will be a shortfall in income to meet budgeted projects; due to the speculation tax, which led to the cancellation of the Goat’s Mountain project and the loss of up to $200,000 in new property taxes that would have come on line in 2020.
Bad news for West Kelowna, particularly after increasing municipal staff and council’s decision to press ahead purchasing land for the defeated $16million civic centre plan.
All this while council refuses to build the $5-million maintenance building, with the needed extra municipal offices at the Bartley Road property the city already owns. That would actually save on annual operating maintenance expenses and keep civic administration central to the entire Westside.
Instead we learn, our property taxes could increase by eight per cent because council needs money, due to escalating costs of our municipal government.
Ten years since incorporation, we remain a bedroom community, except larger; up to 50,000 of us now use a rural road system designed for 10,000.
An efficient road system is essential; congested roads stifle local economic activity.
Why has the city not petitioned the province for a bridge over Power Creek? Why are we not building new municipal roads tying together Glenrosa and Smith Creek?
Even if we have to wait for a second crossing, West Kelowna is in desperate need of more roads. But, this council has spent a lot of their time planning bigger offices for themselves.
DCCs support that particular new development and are not applied to West Kelowna’s outstanding infrastructure deficit; which we continue to carry forward like a nagging overdraft.
Our top-heavy city hall expenses leave little discretionary income available for our transition to a modern urban municipality.
Why does the Central Okanagan have four different municipal boundaries, with four different city halls, repeating the same basic municipal function.
A Central Okanagan municipal wardsystem joining Lake Country, Kelowna, West Kelowna and Peachland into one municipal structure; would streamline our top-heavy municipal system and free up a lot of tax dollars for actual infrastructure improvements.
Our neighbourhoods will still retain their individual character, our taxes would be equal or lower; and we will get more infrastructure improvements done.
The coming municipal election is the time to ask our candidates their feelings on advocating for a single Central Okanagan municipality.