Now not the time to be building a new city hall

Dear Editor:

It’s not brain surgery, it’s simple logic — something West Kelowna council seems to be missing in its goal of building a new city hall.

This council is giving taxpayers a break of 2% on our coming property taxation. They talked about stopping hiring, laying off staff, and cutting other costs and minor projects. Yet not once did any of them say to delay their beloved new city hall funding of $700,000 per year in tax dollars they are taking from us. The $700,000 equates to approximately 2% of the property taxation they charge us every year.

A new world is arriving with COVID-19. (In my opinion, it is not going to be the only one, so expect more with global warming) Our mayor and council seem to work fine from their own homes and with a little thought and procedural changes, much of the city staff could also work from home or at least remotely. Citizens could communicate via telephone, emails, internet video and the like.

So do we really need a new city hall? At the very least give us a break for a year and save 2% while saving staff employment.

I think we should have a new city hall but, like others have said; just a simple building on currently owned city land. It is a service building not an artistic edifice for the history books of West Kelowna.

So if council really cared about city staff, they would not lay them off but work with the unions to permit alternate temporary job functions for them to perform and keep a paycheque.

If council really cared about the taxpayers during this difficult time, they would stop taking 2% of our taxes and delay their new city hall.

R. McLeod, West Kelowna