Mark Johnson - Council Candidate

[FunkyBunch]

That's not what I meant. At all.
But apparently I still need some work at being clear and expressing my ideas fully.

In the Private Sector, businesses are always self-studying on how they can do better and more efficiently. In a Public Works sector, a bunch of bureaucrats hire a bunch of people who think they know what they're doing and do a large expensive study that does waste people's time and money. If a Company tried to do something like this, it would go bankrupt, very fast.

A company has to learn things, and learn them fast in order to stay afloat. Also, it must do these cost effectively and very fast, reacting as necessary. I want to bring some of this into the mix. In effect, I want to see the city run as a well run business with multiple departments. Each department responsible for doing what it is supposed to and within budget.

If you need further clarification please let me know.

[usquebaugh]

Could you see to it that glass is once again picked up by our recycling services? My mom wondered how many people (such as the elderly sans vehicles) are going to bother to take all their glass jars and bottles to a recycling depot since this service has been discontinued. We realize that it's a safety issue, but if glass is the one item that is being sorted beforehand by people, then that should minimize the danger to people sorting the materials.

I figure there are enough vagrant binners who will gladly take your recycling. They need the money more than most.

Can't even put our glass bottles out for the homeless to take (and our recycling and garbage stays in the garage until garbage day). I usually load up the cart of bottles at the depot and pass it off to someone who is down on their luck. It's not our recycling habits that concern us. It's those people who are no longer recycling glass because of the "bother" of having to go to the depot.

[FunkyBunch]

The reason for the review is because I want to waste as little as possible. If in a year a clear and useful review and accountability process can be established at little to no tax-payer money but will end up saving money for years, would this be a bad thing? In government bureaucracies at all levels there are large amounts of waste. There is too much paperwork for every dollar taken in and spent.

An example from the Private Sector:
Inventory Control and tracking is a method some companies use to ensure they always order the appropriate amount of materials. But in some instances it can cost up to approximately $10/part to track. Now what if the part only costs $0.25? You are spending 400 parts worth on tracking them! When the cost of bureaucracy exceeds the benefit, there is a problem and it should be dealt with. It should not be a long and costly process, it should be a "common-sense" process.

The problem is, in the Public Sector, no one cares about "common-sense." They just do things the way they've always been done. What I want to do, is bring some good old-fashioned "common-sense" into city hall. A few people (eg-committee which meets for an hour or 2 every month or so) with business "common-sense" looking at the departments, and establishing a few easy to measure benchmarks that get checked regularly, would do wonders for reducing bureaucratic waste.


On another note, recycling does need to be addressed, you shouldn't have to drive for 10-15 minutes to recycle $2.50 in cans and bottles.

[exFarmerS]

...

The problem is, in the Public Sector, no one cares about "common-sense." They just do things the way they've always been done.

This is a pretty broad statement. I'm hoping that you have read and understand all the laws and regulations that dictate government processes.
City of Kelowna bylaws (of course you can always change the governance ones you don't like)
http://www.kelowna.ca/CM/Page1329.aspx
Community Charter - http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/c/03026_00.htm
TILMA - http://www.gov.bc.ca/ecdev/popt/media_r ... eement.htm
This is also a good reference page
http://www.civicnet.bc.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp

[NAB]

Could you see to it that glass is once again picked up by our recycling services? My mom wondered how many people (such as the elderly sans vehicles) are going to bother to take all their glass jars and bottles to a recycling depot since this service has been discontinued. We realize that it's a safety issue, but if glass is the one item that is being sorted beforehand by people, then that should minimize the danger to people sorting the materials.

I figure there are enough vagrant binners who will gladly take your recycling. They need the money more than most.

Can't even put our glass bottles out for the homeless to take (and our recycling and garbage stays in the garage until garbage day). I usually load up the cart of bottles at the depot and pass it off to someone who is down on their luck. It's not our recycling habits that concern us. It's those people who are no longer recycling glass because of the "bother" of having to go to the depot.

Well, there's always the option of NOT buying stuff packaged in glass containers in the first place (particularly the non-deposit/non-refund of deposit, kind) isn't there?

Buy less stuff with non-recyclable packing, less 'stuff' to recycle. Works for me! ;-) And eventually the suppliers get the message.

Nab

[FunkyBunch]

...

The problem is, in the Public Sector, no one cares about "common-sense." They just do things the way they've always been done.

This is a pretty broad statement. I'm hoping that you have read and understand all the laws and regulations that dictate government processes.
City of Kelowna bylaws (of course you can always change the governance ones you don't like)
http://www.kelowna.ca/CM/Page1329.aspx
Community Charter - http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/c/03026_00.htm
TILMA - http://www.gov.bc.ca/ecdev/popt/media_r ... eement.htm
This is also a good reference page
http://www.civicnet.bc.ca/siteengine/activepage.asp

Yes it is a "broad" statement. While I don't profess to have read absolutely every piece of literature available to me (yet). I have read through many by-laws and a good amount of the OCP as well as gone through the Civicnet website.

It has been my experience, (and others I know who have had to deal with the Kelowna City Hall and others) that efficiency is not a high priority. In many cases it seems to be that change that would benefit services and citizens is not done, simply because it's not the way it's been done before.

I'm going to use the ALR example from a few weeks ago (I was physically present in the audience at this meeting). There was a piece of land on the ALR, completely useless to agriculture, especially without city support (which was refused). On one side of the land was a multi-unit housing development, on the other: agricultural land (useful). The land was right on the border of the ALR for that area. The City had argued against the land being removed from the ALR for any reason, even though all it is now is a transient camp and construction debris dump site. The land cannot be used for agriculture without support from the city (in the form of drainage etc). The City wanted this land to stay as it was, just because the ALR "line" was drawn to include this piece of useless land. Even with a buffer towards the ALR land, the city staffers refused to budge on this issue, and council voted only 5-4 to allow the application for removal from the ALR.

That said, I would like to keep as much useful land in the ALR as possible, but I don't see the point of keeping a useless eyesore in the ALR just because that's where the line happened to fall.

[FunkyBunch]

As for the recycling issue, I'd like to take another idea from another country. Recycling is picked up with the garbage. It must be pre-sorted, and bagged properly. In fact, if it's NOT sorted or you purposely throw away recyclables you can be fined (and it's not cheap!). At all public places there are multiple disposal containers for each type of recyclable. The cost of this would not be much greater than our current system (with the planned upgrades it may even be equal to current costs).

The reason for the other country requiring this, is they don't have the space for extra garbage. Just because we have space doesn't mean we should be allowed to put recyclables in the garbage.

Further, glass containers, even those not requiring a deposit can be recycled.

[usquebaugh]

I know they can be recycled, but they are no longer being picked up. My concern is that those without vehicles are then throwing out their glass jars (those that do not have a refund attached to them), rather than hauling them to a recycling depot via a bus ride/walk/cycle, etc.

[FunkyBunch]

The idea I got from Japan (the county I referenced in the post above) would address that issue, and is something I would make a priority.

[onestop67]

As for the recycling issue, I'd like to take another idea from another country. Recycling is picked up with the garbage. It must be pre-sorted, and bagged properly. In fact, if it's NOT sorted or you purposely throw away recyclables you can be fined (and it's not cheap!). At all public places there are multiple disposal containers for each type of recyclable. The cost of this would not be much greater than our current system (with the planned upgrades it may even be equal to current costs).

The reason for the other country requiring this, is they don't have the space for extra garbage. Just because we have space doesn't mean we should be allowed to put recyclables in the garbage.

Further, glass containers, even those not requiring a deposit can be recycled.

ummm, Penticton is in Canada, not Japan. Just go to the City of Penticton website and check it out.

Everything I bolded is done here. They give out the blue bins for free to put cardboard and glass and soup type cans in. Then you get a blue bag for newspapers and a yellow one for regular paper.

If you get elected, get ahold of the powers that be in Penticton and they will probably tell you exactly how it works and what it costs the city to provide this curbside recycling.

This link/page explains how it all works.

http://www.penticton.ca/city/public_wor ... dwaste.asp

[FunkyBunch]

Cool, I have never lived in Penticton and I didn't know that (I just remember the awesome recycling system I saw when I was in Japan). I do want to emphasize however, all public receptacles should have multiple disposal for different recyclables.

I should do more local research it seems.

[onestop67]

I do want to emphasize however, all public receptacles should have multiple disposal for different recyclables.

I agree with this also. I have seen it done in places like hospitals and schools, but not sure about on the street.

Why do I think there are recycling cans downtown?

I'm heading out right now. I'll take a look and get back to you.

[FunkyBunch]

I live in an apartment and the recycling here is decent. However, the last building we were in(and others I know of) had/have cardboard only. This makes it hard to recycle. Further, businesses are exempted from recycling glass, plastics etc. The city should be organizing this. Some businesses I've seen have put more recyclables in the garbage in a month, than my family of three uses in a year.

Further, while I understand that un-sorted recyclables makes recycling more convenient for residents, it should be sorted, and glass should be allowed.

[onestop67]

I live in an apartment and the recycling here is decent. However, the last building we were in(and others I know of) had/have cardboard only. This makes it hard to recycle. Further, businesses are exempted from recycling glass, plastics etc. The city should be organizing this. Some businesses I've seen have put more recyclables in the garbage in a month, than my family of three uses in a year.

Further, while I understand that un-sorted recyclables makes recycling more convenient for residents, it should be sorted, and glass should be allowed.

It shouldn't be an option for the apartment building to do what they want when it comes to recycling. They should have to have separate bins for the tenants to sort stuff into...IMRFO

Have you gone to the Penticton link I posted? It has a pdf that shows what is recyclable and how to clean and/or sort it all.

[FunkyBunch]

Yeah I have gone to the link. Thanks. Kelowna needs to do a lot of work in many areas. We are on the wrong track in a number of areas.

Sadly, I don't believe I will be able to run for council this sitting. With the job shake-up at work, it isn't in my families best interests that I try and run for council with my job future uncertain. I can't commit to being in Kelowna for 3 years at this point if I do end up on the downsized portion of the shake-up. I really thought this was the year for me to be able to make a difference.

Maybe somebody else out there will be able to take my place and give the current councilor a run for their money.