West Kel council criticized

West Kelowna city council has not done the job it was elected to do.

Several months ago, the mayor bragged about three big accomplishments (the city) achieved. One was the Rose Valley water treatment plant. But it’s not such a bragging point.

First, it bought the wrong piece of land, one containing a protected species. Therefore, it had to purchase a second piece of land. More money wasted, more time lost.

The announced opening date had to be moved by years, again at the cost of time and money.

Once it was finally opened, there were further boil water advisories and then, at an additional expense, it had to take care of the manganese problem.

Now we learn the council set up a contingency fund to handle extra expenses that could be incurred regarding the Rose Valley water plant.

Then council had the colossal nerve to hit us already beleaguered taxpayers with a huge one-time additional tax of $2,750, or the the promise to add $181 yearly to our taxes, for the next 25 years.

We had to endure boil water advisories regularly and frequently for years. We either had to buy water or lug it, Third-World style, from the town pump on Shannon Lake Road.

We have put up with inconvenience, brown water and long delays before getting what (the mayor) called a state-of-the-art water supply. And then the city has the bald-faced effrontery to charge us extra for our water supply.

Council went ahead with the new city hall despite losing a vote on that. It had to move the newly built skate park to make way for that new city hall. It was very poor planning.

Then, the city slid in another “oops”—$200,000 to upgrade the new, state-of-the-art city hall. More poor planning.

(The city) is wasting money left, right and centre and then bragging about proficiency. Has it no shame?

We have been simmering with rage and now it is boiling over. (City council members) need to give their heads a shake and reconsider what they need to do. Taxpayers deserve a council that can plan properly, spend wisely and deliver in a timely fashion.

That does not describe(West Kelowna’s) councillors and mayor. None of them deserve to be re-elected unless they clean up their mess without gouging us any more.

Lee and Doris Karvonen, West Kelowna