Peachland council bashing

[matai]

If you follow a little bit of local news, there's been a lot of controversy regarding the million dollar school building in Peachland.

For the past 3 weeks now, all we see in the newspaper is letters criticizing council, the chamber of commerce, council, the chamber.

I think every council member is entitled to have an opinion, and everyone is entitled to agree or disagree with opinions, but 2 full pages this week again, including one letter written by the husband of the Visitor Centre lady? When there's a fire, sometimes it's best to simply add wine in the water and to let it go, or at least go to the laundromat when you want to wash your clothes.

Is your popcorn ready? Page 4 & 5: http://issuu.com/peachlandview/docs/june_20_2014. You can see archives of the other June papers here: http://issuu.com/peachlandview

*eyes rolling* - Come on! I think all this controversy about nothing, like a flurry rolling down a rocky mountain hill is a nice way to put the highway bypass slip like butter under the carpet, discussed in the same paper, link above. Every council member has been elected by the public, and as such, they all deserve their seat in there, like it or not, and this decision coming from the public should be respected.

BTW, on page 11, same paper, where did the Antler's Beach Peachland sign go? Vandalized again?

Anyways, congrats for saving the bats and for everything you did with the building. Same money in Kelowna would have given you a public toilet in a park.

I think there are more important issues going on like watering the flowers and making sure no one steals pebbles at the beach and $46,000 for taking care of a gigantic building, one full time staff, electricity, gas etc and welcoming 10,000 visitors a year in a town that survives and depends ENTIRELY on tourists? That's peanuts in an elephant's mouth!


Your thoughts?

[Zoso]

It's the blind leading the blind in there . They have no great accomplishments other than crushing business and ideas with foolish pride . Most of them aren't long time residents and have made tremendously poor decisions on behalf of a seemingly indifferent public. They need to be ousted , the whole lot of them .

[matai]

I would like to add that in 2013, Cindy had $0 in additional expenses above her salary, while another council member billed $4,000 to the taxpayers (or if you prefer 10% of the budget allocated to the chamber of commerce), more than the mayor himself! Now that's something to rant about.

Source: District of Peachaldn statement of financial information.

[Iamsomeone]

I would like to add that in 2013, Cindy had $0 in additional expenses above her salary, while another council member billed $4,000 to the taxpayers (or if you prefer 10% of the budget allocated to the chamber of commerce), more than the mayor himself! Now that's something to rant about.

Source: District of Peachaldn statement of financial information.

First I have to commend you for your spunk! It's good to keep tabs on where your tax dollars are going.

HOWEVER, and it's a big however, you can not judge on expense amount alone. There are a number of reasons one councillor might have more expenses than another. Perhaps he was nominated to attend a week long conference? Is he Deputy Mayor and attends events the Mayor isn't available for? Lot's of questions here but until we know the answers, it's impossible to judge.

One might also ask the flip side of the question though - Why hasn't Cindy incurred any expenses? Is she not participating in representing Peachland?

[nikonfan]

Maybe paying these people a lousy $13000 per year for the work is what the problem is. you get what you pay for. We need less rules and regulations in our life not more. I don't want anyone telling me what light bulbs to use, what kind of toilet to install in my house, giving away tax money for artsy farsty things.
Peachland taxpayers fisrt of all need to pay councilors decent wages to get some non retired young thinking people to run the town. This council has floundered on many things from the downtown development to the gravel pit on upper Princeton.
A town council needs to worry about roads, snow removal, garbage services, the everyday boring things that cities need. Once you start to social engineer people by telling us what we should support with our tax dollars you are asking for trouble. Let me live my life the way I want in my house and if I want to support a bunch of art I will do it but don't offer up my tax bucks on my behalf. If it can't support itself with the caliber of the product well maybe that is your answer. We have one of the best downtown areas in the Okanagan for walking, swimming and recreation and full marks to the town for developing it and thats the kind of stuff "town councils" should be doing.