Pay parking not the answer

Re: Pay parking moving along

The Penticton City council and staff are looking to change many areas of currently free parking to pay parking in an attempt to generate funds for their deficit budgets and cost overruns operating a city budget.  The idea of charging a fee for recreational, sporting event and beach parking is appalling and should not be accepted by taxpaying citizens. Taxes have and will continue to increase whether parking in these areas is free or payment required. The two months of tourist generated revenue will not be sufficient and the other 10 months of locals paying for recreation and activity parking is not fair to taxpayers. The idea of Pay Parking in these areas to subsidize and offset poor money management by the city staff and council is wrong.

Pay parking has been proven to reduce activity levels of community citizens to use those activity areas and will have a negative impact on the health and activity levels of locals; especially seniors in need of getting out and being active each day as well as taking in community events due to the year round additional costs associated to using these areas.

Council/staff could easily solve this budget deficit by managing their budgets more effectively and by instituting proper development fees and taxes to developers.  After years of low rate charges compared to other communities increase those fees to appropriate rates instead of padding the pocket of every developer by offering them reduced rates in Penticton. Change these low rates to comparatively similar rates to other communities and manage your budgets better in council and staff decisions. Don’t charge the taxpaying citizens to park in their own community for activity, recreational and beach parking in areas that are currently free by instituting fees as a tax grab to offset years of mismanaged funds.

Council and city staff should be embarrassed by considering paid parking in these areas in an attempt to make up for budget shortfalls.

John Buckley