LETTER: Council is responsible

The article “BC Assessments shake up property taxes” in last week’s newspaper leads by saying our council is not responsible for the increase in taxes – it is coming from somewhere council has no control of. Even the header to the article exonerates our council. The article states there are a lot of reasons for the increase and our council is not responsible for any of them. 

The fact of the matter is our council is responsible for 100 per cent of the increase, not some celestial order. I guess a spaceship must have lowered the portable office in the parking lot full of IT personnel. 

Even if we accept this excuse at face value, how do council and the bureaucracy explain last year and the year before increases? If that was not divine intervention perhaps it was just simple mismanagement. 

I guess these people think we have no memories. Is anyone buying this pabulum that is being fed to us? I don’t. 

I never heard but I assume the raise was taken by council. That must have been another celestial event. It is time we stop judging by intention and start judging by results. 

I guess the young families who are struggling as it is will just have to suck it up. This further increase will increase rent for renters, but that is OK, the muni is looking after you, right after our tax raises. As a matter a fact, the taxpayer appears to be  about 73rd on the list of priorities. Great. 

This council has proved it can do the easy part and spend but they are terrible at managing costs.

During this councils’ tenure, taxes have gone up at least 30 per cent. This is great management.

The mayor says she had input from the community – is this supposed to say the community is OK with this? I know of no one who was consulted – name names of the consulted other than those with a vested interest. 

This is to make us feel a thorough consultation was conducted and the majority agreed with this. It’s absolute nonsense. 

They try to justify the increase by putting a per-month cost increase. I don’t know about you, but I don’t pay my taxes by per month or per day, so why is that even relevant – more smoke and mirrors.  

This crew seems to be playing games with the taxpayers  Are these really the type of people we want to represent our interests?