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The City of Penticton may need to put out some fires in order to be effective in community engagement.
The city's new engagement officer, JoAnne Kleb, spoke before council this week to provide an update following two weeks of consultations, including meet-ups at the Seniors Drop-in Centre and Cherry Lane Shopping Centre.
But with many of those in attendance expressing frustration over the proposed Skaha Lake Park waterslide, Kleb said the city may need to work to regain trust.
Beyond the waterslide, Kleb said people took issue with perceived "bad decisions and backroom dealings," including the hockey dorm deal, the addition of staff and benefits for council, cost overruns at the SOEC, the tax break for the casino, permissive tax exemptions for some organizations and ongoing problems at the pool.
Many of the residents believed those issues are partly responsible for a lack of funding for infrastructure repairs – the reason Kleb set out to consult the public.
Kleb said residents didn't believe parking meters to be the answer to economic woes.
Once frustrations were vented, Kleb said she was able to have "constructive conversations" about the deficit.
"The majority of citizens I spoke with ... were not surprised that the condition of Penticton's infrastructure is deteriorating and in need of investment," Kleb said, adding that the lack of surprise extended to previous councils not setting aside money to deal with the issue.
"Many are reluctant to see cuts to too many services to make up the deficit."
Solutions offered include a new property tax, looking for more options to share services, reconsidering tax breaks, reducing staff and freezing salaries, pursuing a two-tier fee system for residents and non-residents of the city, stimulating development by imposing a tax on empty buildings, and investing in green infrastructure.
She will be continuing her engagement before budget talks begin in January.
