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Kelowna  

Mayor takes shot at zero tax

Kelowna Mayor, Walter Gray, seemed to take a strategic shot at Kelowna's newest municipal party.

With Taxpayers First candidate and founder, Carol Gran, in the gallery, Gray read a portion of an article from a Vernon newspaper equating a zero per cent tax increase with increased crime in the North Okanagan city.

Taxpayers First, which is running a slate of three candidates in November, has stated one of its goals is to introduce a bylaw that would guarantee zero per cent tax increases over the four year mandate of the new council.

"You'll recall a number of years ago Vernon council made a decision to go to zero per cent on their budgeting," says Gray.

"They did that in a number of ways. They depleted their resources, their reserve accounts, they sold some real estate I understand and they reduced the size of the RCMP. This article kind of tells you, you pay the price if you do those sorts of things."

The article from last Friday's edition of the Morning Star stated criminal activity has spiked in the city over the second quarter of 2014.

Attributing figures to North Okanagan Supt. Reg Burgess, the article states a 41 per cent increase in criminal activity and a 21 per cent hike in Criminal Code offences during the second quarter of the year.

It further states both vehicle thefts and thefts under $5,000 nearly doubled in June compared to the same month the previous year.

Burgess also stated the detachment resources were tight which was noticeable when large files like the rash of recent arson fires took up a lot of time.

"If you read the part that is not in the story it is very, very clear that this council (Kelowna) three years ago did the right thing by deciding to catch up in terms of our policing levels so now we sit here today in pretty good shape," says Gray.

"I thought that article was very, very telling."

While Gray admits Kelownians can be sensitive when it comes to statistics, it's "nothing compared to what I just read you."

"It has to do with the appropriate level of policing that they made a conscious decision not to have a few years ago."

 



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