A recent motion by City of Powell River mayor Ron Woznow to gauge the feelings of residents on what to do with city-owned properties was voted down by a majority of councillors.
While the mayor and councillor Jim Palm voted in support of a motion related to selling or leasing some of the 160 properties the city owns to generate revenue and provide some relief financially, the other council members disagreed, citing lack of staffing or stating that selling city-owned land is not a good idea.
Is it a good idea? Since council chose not to include the question on the ballot for the next municipal election, we’ve decided to ask Woznow’s question at prpeak.com and see what Peak readers think: “Do you support the utilization of some of the city’s 160 properties to generate revenue and reduce maintenance costs?”
The online poll question is available now.
Are staffing issues still going to be a problem 18 months from now? Is the city going to hang onto the properties forever rather than sell some due to fear that a buyer might hang onto a property and sell it later at a profit? The properties currently do not generate any income. How long does the status quo make sense?
As Palm said at the May 22 council meeting, it’s not about divesting every property. Using some to alleviate an ever-increasing burden on taxpayers is worth exploring.
Based on recent tax increases, current taxpayers deserve current action.
Obtaining a sense of the opinion of residents is a good idea. Choosing to do nothing now doesn’t help anyone in the future.
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