Out-of-towners paying more in Penticton?

[seewood]

OK, throwing this out there: Elvina Slump several times a year, if not month, will bring up the fact Penticton should make out of towners pay more to utilize Penticton's services and now parking.

I'm not sure what other jurisdictions are out there that will make out of towners pay more to use rec centers for example.
In the past I have done laps in W. Van, Williams Lake, Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Squamish, Duncan, Halifax, Montreal, Boston, Summerland, Vancouver, Delta, Richmond, and likely several more pools that I can't recall, but NOT once was I ever asked for ID to determine my residence to be charged a different admission fee.
Using the Penticton aquatic center for example, wonder if Elvina would want all the out of towner kids that come for a swim meet to pay more?
Would charging more, push people away?
To me, her wanting to put a wall around Penticton seems kind of unenforceable and could generate all kinds of negative news in the media...not welcome to come to Penticton or if you do, you pay more...
Don't think she has thought this through.

[TylerM4]

OK, throwing this out there: Elvina Slump several times a year, if not month, will bring up the fact Penticton should make out of towners pay more to utilize Penticton's services and now parking.

I'm not sure what other jurisdictions are out there that will make out of towners pay more to use rec centers for example.
In the past I have done laps in W. Van, Williams Lake, Nanaimo, Ladysmith, Squamish, Duncan, Halifax, Montreal, Boston, Summerland, Vancouver, Delta, Richmond, and likely several more pools that I can't recall, but NOT once was I ever asked for ID to determine my residence to be charged a different admission fee.
Using the Penticton aquatic center for example, wonder if Elvina would want all the out of towner kids that come for a swim meet to pay more?
Would charging more, push people away?
To me, her wanting to put a wall around Penticton seems kind of unenforceable and could generate all kinds of negative news in the media...not welcome to come to Penticton or if you do, you pay more...
Don't think she has thought this through.

Seems like a great way to make out-of-towners feel unwelcome. Last I heard tourism is a major component of Penticton's economy.

[OkPundit]

I tend to agree with the originator of this post. Ms. Slump keeps beating the same “old drum “. She has an opinion on everything ( which she has a right to express) but what credentials or experience does this woman ( and he husband) have ? She is merely someone with an opinion and the vast majority of the time she offers the same “old “ not in Penticton view , elected officials are idiots and she knows best. Give it a rest Ms. Slump or run for Mayor or Council . Time to run Ms. Slump, show the City of Penticton ... prove you have as many followers as you imply and if you get elected demonstrate how amazing you think you are !

[southy]

Wait a sec. this thread just gave me a great idea. Why don't we create a campaign and call it:

Let's make Penticton great again. We could build a wall. Think of the possibilities.
And we could even have Mayor Jak lead the way .

Have to go get my swim suit out for tomorrow morning ... heading to the pool. Thank goodness I live in Penticton.

[Osoyoos_Familyof4]

When I come into Penticton (usually once a week from Osoyoos at least, if not more) these are some of the things we have spent money on in Penticton generating revenue for the retailers of the area this year while our kids and the extra kids we always seem to have are enjoying the facilities Penticton has to offer.

Admission for 4 children to Aquatic Centre $ 17.00 (weekly)
Grocery Shopping Superstore $ 270.00 (weekly)
Orthodontist $ 1100.00, plus $200.00/month
Vehicle from car dealership $ 33,000
Entertainment $ 100.00 month
Restaurants $ $140.00 month
Soccer Fees $ 180.00 per year X 2
Clothes and Household Items/ Lawn and Garden $ 150.00 month

All these things I can do pretty much because the recreation centre allows me to, for $17.00, drop off 4 kids and spread this type of typical consumer spending in town whilst the little darlings are racing up the stairs of the water slide. There is a positive spin off spending in a town that offers services.

[fluffy]

Ms. Slump has run for council in the past, but was not elected because her views are narrow of vision and poorly thought out. There is an argument for charging out of towners more for city services but it is a very weak one in my mind. The post above illustrates that perfectly, our city services do much to attract short trim visitors who more often than not make additional contributions to our local economy. Ms. Slump's views are typical of a "lock the gate: mentality that limits opportunities for growth in the city.

[twobits]

When I come into Penticton (usually once a week from Osoyoos at least, if not more) these are some of the things we have spent money on in Penticton generating revenue for the retailers of the area this year while our kids and the extra kids we always seem to have are enjoying the facilities Penticton has to offer.

Admission for 4 children to Aquatic Centre $ 17.00 (weekly)
Grocery Shopping Superstore $ 270.00 (weekly)
Orthodontist $ 1100.00, plus $200.00/month
Vehicle from car dealership $ 33,000
Entertainment $ 100.00 month
Restaurants $ $140.00 month
Soccer Fees $ 180.00 per year X 2
Clothes and Household Items/ Lawn and Garden $ 150.00 month

All these things I can do pretty much because the recreation centre allows me to, for $17.00, drop off 4 kids and spread this type of typical consumer spending in town whilst the little darlings are racing up the stairs of the water slide. There is a positive spin off spending in a town that offers services.

Ok, I'll be the *bleep* and point out the flaw to your arguments. Osoyoos has no super store, no orthodontists, no car dealerships, little entertainment, few quality restaurants, no soccor league, and a pathetic selection of clothes, house items or lawn and garden.
So what you are trying to tell us is that the aquatic center is a cheap babysitter for your kids paid for and subsidized thru taxes to keep the rate low by Penticton taxpayers so that you can attend to all of the above services....all of which you would come here for anyway because there are none in your community. Are you suggesting that if you had to pay the difference between the subsidized cost of the aquatic center and the true cost, you would have no reason to patronize the business's you have listed as utilizing. Bull Chit!
Penticton, outside of it's legal boundaries is experiences growth at a rapid pace that it is somehow expected to provide all of the amenities for without contribution for those amenities and it is not sustainable. At least satellites like West Bench ackknowlege the benefits and contibute some token amounts. Talk to the residents of Naramata, Kaleden, OK Falls, or Naramata about contributing to the Community center, pool or gym etc and they laugh. And they all say the same thing. We shop at your stores. They all forget to add that the have no stores but are quite happy to pay the taxes they do that don't have to pay for the amenities they all use.

[seewood]

Talk to the residents of Naramata, Kaleden, OK Falls, or Naramata about contributing to the Community center, pool or gym etc and they laugh. And they all say the same thing. We shop at your stores. They all forget to add that the have no stores but are quite happy to pay the taxes they do that don't have to pay for the amenities they all use

We bought outside Penticton years ago. Reason we bought where we did, view, price and lot size. Penticton did not offer what we were looking for at a price we could afford. Taxes were not on the radar and was not a decision maker or breaker.
Taxes were lower, granted, but had a RDOS for government, surface water with rudimentary chlorine system, ( boil water 8-9 months of the year) no police department, no full time fire dept, even split between useless stand pipes and fire hydrants and no pool or rec center to pay for. Ambulance was a 20+ minute trip out.
Yes, we do shop at Penticton's stores. Spend quite a bit as a matter of fact. Just wonder if all the "out of towners" took their business to another jurisdiction, north say, what the local merchants would be saying about their revenue? The property tax revenue to the city would not change of course, just the ability to pay for it by the merchants.
The rec center was built with fed, provincial, and city funds back in 80 I think it was.
Touchy subject for some, but in my opinion just something that would not be favorable to Penticton once in the media.

[GordonH]

imo everyone should pay the exact same price for goods and services, if anything kids under "X" age & seniors gets discounts.

[fluffy]

All Penticton taxpayers contribute to our services whether they use them or not, someone who never goes to the pool or the SOEC will still help cover the cost of building/maintaining these facilities. User fees at the door count for "extra" charges, I say leave it at that. Fostering an "us and them" attitude is a very bad idea, we've already got enough of that going on between Penticton residents without bringing surrounding factions into the fray.

[TylerM4]

Making out of towners pay for some services does make some sense. Expensive public facilities like pools for example.

However, the way to do it isn't to "charge out of towners more". It's to offer a discount to local residents.

[Jhunter199]

Making out of towners pay for some services does make some sense. Expensive public facilities like pools for example.

However, the way to do it isn't to "charge out of towners more". It's to offer a discount to local residents.

Totally agree, I've seen it work great in other communities. Single passes are all charged at the same rate, but monthly use passes were offered at a 20% discount for local residents. The ski hills do the same throughout the Okanagan valley and seem to have been successful with it.

[seewood]

However, the way to do it isn't to "charge out of towners more". It's to offer a discount to local residents.

I agree with that, however to play devils advocate, will the city that is starved for money go along? Will the reduced local rate entice MORE local patrons to make up for the lost revenue?

As mentioned in the OP, I have not noticed any discounts at the pools I have been to over the years...

[GordonH]

Same can be said of those who own property along the lake/river only use it few months of the year (if that) & has a cabin/house. They are charged the full going rate of land taxes on that property, even if they have no children school.
So charging out-of-towners for services they may not use, should not be a problem.

Added: if the property is within city limits those taxes as well.

[Osoyoos_Familyof4]

I assure you, Osoyoos has grocery stores (2 of them), restaurants, dentist, soccer and a very fine home/garden store. While it's correct that we don't have a car dealership or much in the way of general merchandise, I do have options. I could go to Omak and big box shop about the same distance it takes me to get to Penticton. I could have easily imported our new car from Spokane too and met it at the border.

However, it's also worth nothing that the South Okanagan population can be quite fluid as well. For instance: 6 years previous to the Aquatic Cenre being built, we did actually pay Penticton city taxes and still lived there when it opened in fact.

It's quite correct that some may choose to interpret that I am using the recreation centre as a "babysitter" I suppose, maybe you are somewhat correct. But I also think you are underestimating the economic power that the bedroom communities bring in. If you charge me more I just won't bother to come in as much, I might as well go to Omak and get things cheaper even with the lousy exchange rate. Or I would just leave the kids at home, see, I spend much less when they aren't with me anyway. When I take the kids in, I get suckered into mounds of useless crap, and pizza and hamburgers and all the extra ca-ca you pay for when you go into Penticton for half the day. But if I feel less welcome to do so, I'm sure I can I can spend money elsewhere.