The Editor,
I think many residents would disagree with the mayor’s recent statement that, “annual tax hikes are a necessity and growth is the only alternative to decline.”
Growth is something the city needs to plan for, but smart growth over uncontrolled growth is what most residents would consider the responsible approach. Approving all development, anywhere in the city, for any purpose is not a recipe for success. SmartGrowthBC lays out 10 very important principles, “to enhance our quality of life, preserve the natural environment, and save money over time.” This is something many progressive cities around the world are now following. I’m happy to see the mayor and council taking some direction from this approach, but more could be done with fresh thinking on council.
I would also suggest annual tax hikes are not a necessity but a choice made by a mayor and council that chooses to not look for alternatives. For example, development cost charges (DCC’s) could be increased to ensure new construction is adequately paying for the increased demands placed on existing infrastructure. By doing so, current residents could get a tax break while new owners would re-coup, slightly higher up-front costs over time through lower municipal taxes. Again, there are alternatives to continually increased taxation, but our elected representatives need to explore these options and work closer with senior levels of government to find solutions.
“I don’t think change for the sake of change, is a good thing,” says the mayor in referring to maintaining the current council. Although I respect the professionalism of our mayor, it certainly sounds like an atmosphere of groupthink is being encouraged; per Wikipedia, “phenomenon in groups where the desire for harmony or conformity in the group results in an irrational or dysfunctional decision-making outcome.” Seems to me that this makes it even more imperative that new councillors are elected who will work hard, challenge current thinking and make the best decisions, not the just easy ones. We have regular elections precisely for this reason; to change things up!
Jerome Dickey
Richmond
