To the Editor,
As we delve into this year’s budget process, it has been interesting listening to the factors contributing to our current financial challenges. The need for a 17 percent tax increase has sparked discussions on how we arrived at this point.
Hindsight truly is 20/20. Regrettably, the city has depleted a significant portion of its reserves on infrastructure projects like building a path and acquiring a mill. While these investments may seem critical to our community’s growth, they have left us with limited reserves to cushion the impact of escalating costs and necessary budget expansions to sustain essential city services.
The recent $5 million injection from the Provinces Growing Communities Fund has provided some relief.
Running a municipality is no easy task, especially when it comes to balancing the needs of the community with major asset replacement planning like an aquatic centre that would benefit the entire region.
It’s disheartening to hear the rhetoric directed towards the ACRD during the budget process. Accusations about not paying their fair share of RCMP policing costs can create unnecessary tension since it is the provincial government that sets the costing for municipalities and regions based on population.
Also disheartening is the comment made by Councillor John Douglas regarding regional areas “freeloading off the city for years.” It’s important to remember that unity and collaboration are key in fostering strong relationships between the city and regional areas.
Blaming regional communities for city budget problems is not a solution-oriented approach and may only serve to create further divisions. Could there be a more strategic reason behind these actions?
It’s apparent the city has no interest in the pool, so when the regional areas fail to participate in funding a new pool, the city can point the finger at the regional areas for its failure. But in pointing fingers it’s worth noting three are pointing back at you.
Randy Fraser,
Port Alberni