Your tax dollars at work

For West Kelowna citizens who are not paying attention to this election, please go to the city’s Oct. 2 webcast, then go to Item 9.2.3 - Town Centre Security Trial Results Information Report from the Parks and Fleet Manager.

This is not the correct title for the topic, which was the Wine Trail costs increasing to $9.2 million and the infamous telephone pole issue.

The subject is 57 minutes long, but if you want to see what Coun. de Jong said, go to the 21:50 mark, and if you want to see a very ill (but showed up for the meeting to represent all the citizens who called her on the subject) Coun. Neis, go to 25:50, where she opened her talk with: “Buckle up, sit down, and get comfortable, because this is going to take a while.”

I urge all citizens to watch the whole 57 minutes, but at the very least go to the two timelines and see what two councillors said about this project and what has gone on. It is an amazing example of how city staff is running our city and not council.

This is exactly why citizens have to pay attention to how the city’s money is spent. City staff believe Developer Cost Charges and grants from the province or ICBC are free money. Every single dollar of revenue that comes to the City of West Kelowna bank account comes from taxpayers, user fees or from residents who purchase developer-built accommodation. It all comes from us! 

With the exception of Councillors de Jong and Neis, who both voted against the Wine Trail cost presentation, this council has wasted city money. They have wasted our money.

This election is going to allow us to vote in people who actually care about our money. It is going to allow us to make a change before it is too late.

There are a great deal of costs that taxpayers have not been informed about. The above item is only one.

Take a little time to check out each candidate and please get out and vote. 

Thomas Lovell, West Kelowna