A recent Peak article [“Recreation centre escapes service cuts,” February 28] highlights the struggles of city council to balance the 2018 budget without increasing residential taxes beyond the cost-of-living index.
Additionally, the article featured councillor CaroleAnn Leishman, who blindly protects every dollar spent on the recreation complex. It also discussed whether the complex is a core service or essential service.
Current council should have had a fiscal cakewalk during this term. It started with a surplus and received additional windfall revenues from the airport harvest, re-allocation of senior government taxes and significant increases of Catalyst taxes.
The problem is the amount of spending, which has increased by 27 per cent, an average of 6.8 per cent per year during a period of zero growth, and a cost-of-living expense less than two per cent, (per the November release of the city’s 2018 general operations budget).
The article also referred to the city’s core department/services, which should provide some guidance to council for allocation of funds.
I suggest the per cent of residential users is helpful. For example, 100 per cent of the 10,000 residents use water and sewer services, 90 per cent use roads and sidewalks on a daily bases, compared to daily users of the complex or library, which is probably less than five per cent.
Would any users be adversely affected if the complex reduced hours by 10 per cent or if the library was open six days a week rather than seven? Do we need two ice surfaces after house-league hockey is over in March? Do we need ice 12 months of the year?
The complex and library services have, for the past few years, increased the level of service in the hope of increasing participation and revenue. Staff members are to be commended for their efforts, but the reality is we have surplus capacity and must operate the facilities more efficiently by increasing users per hour, which means reducing the number of hours available.
The argument is not, do we close these facilities? But rather, is there a more cost effective approach to providing the services?
Paul McMahon
Invermere Court
