To the editor:

West Kelowna council is apparently going to secretly approve the purchase of land for a future new city hall without the ability of citizens to approve or deny the location and spending. The council can legally do this under current bylaws; however, is this a correct or ethical thing to do in this instance. (Especially after a prior failed AAP and referendum on such acquisition) This practice is known as the 香蕉视频直播淐reep Effect香蕉视频直播� (move slowly and carefully in order to avoid being heard or noticed).

This council used the 香蕉视频直播淐reep Effect香蕉视频直播� in the development of the soccer dome 香蕉视频直播� the original cost was to be $1.6 million and is now at $3.7 million. However, the total does not include the cost of land or the cost to move a water main under the land. Both additional costs directly related to the soccer dome and the council香蕉视频直播檚 rationale was: it香蕉视频直播檚 different budgets.

Purchasing land of sufficient size for a new city hall building, with parking, offices for 170 staff, citizen access, and future growth needs, will cost taxpayers a million dollars. The council has always stated they wanted 香蕉视频直播渁ll municipal departments in one location.香蕉视频直播� Purchasing land in Westbank does not achieve this goal. Building on the existing 11-acre site does achieve this goal and saves taxpayers a million dollars.

The citizens of West Kelowna, do not need to spend that million dollars on more land when we have over 11 acres of available, City Owned land, at Bartley and Stevens that would cost us nothing. That million could be spent actually building the walls of a City Hall instead of purchasing more land. We could spend that million on more sidewalks. (which only has a budget of $650,000 per year) or more road upgrades (such as is required in Glenrosa) or more infrastructure upgrades (that really do not have reserves left to properly upgrade) and many other needed upgrades.

In recent months, the city council have been touting that taxation of 3 per cent may not be maintained (as earlier boasted) and there may be a need to increase taxation from 3 per cent per year to as high at 9 per cent per year. Why? It is because this council has spent our cash? We may have assets (that we cannot sell to anyone) but we are cash poor. So why spend a million dollars on more land when we have available land?

Apparently, the city received a document showing that all of our city services could be relocated to this 11-acre city owned site and still have room for a proper civic centre while also meeting the future growth needs of city services. Yet they have chosen to ignore this potential and spend more taxpayer dollars to purchase more land in the Westbank area. Why? Is it because this council has become so vain normalizing the spending of millions of dollars that they have forgotten how to responsibly spend taxpayers香蕉视频直播� dollars?

Time will tell if they have or will be purchasing more unnecessary land with our tax dollars and it will then become a very interesting election with (currently) at least five of the existing council going for re-election. Taxpayers must pay attention and vote wisely.

Richard McLeod

West Kelowna