So Where’s the 10 Percent Saving In Every Department Mayor Green?
Thursday, February 21, 2013 @ 3:45 AM
Aren’t you all enjoying the "savings of up to 10% in every department" promised by Mayor Shari Green in her platform to get elected in the last civic election?
For example, lets look at your most recent Utilities Bill. It will see you paying 26.1% more for your utilities in the coming months with a further increase in July when the Regional District introduces new fees for tipping, thanks in part, to a move by the City to close the Quinn and Vanway transfer stations.
With inflation in 2010 at 1.9%, in 2011 at 2.3% and 2012 at 2.5 %, City hall would be hard pressed to say they are just keeping up with inflation.
You did get a note in the bill which says they are just trying to keep up with the requirement that money be set aside for an aging water and sewer system. One could possibly buy into that notion, but it is the same majority of councillors who were sitting at the council table when the matter first came to light and instead of addressing the problem , we got a new police station that would be the envy of every jurisdiction across Canada, we also had a council that was prepared to pay 3.5 million for the old PG Hotel site, spent just shy of a million bucks to buy some air above a parking lot , and tried to ram through a dyke system that we didn’t need. So please, don’t drop the old chestnut on use that it was "previous councils" who created the problem. The majority of you were part of that "previous council" including I might add, the Mayor.
So back to the bill you previously paid with the discount $348.23 dollars twice a year for the utilities that you use. Effective now there is no discount and moreover, your new bill is $439.28 dollars, a whopping $192.10 increase a year.
Call it what you want, it is a tax, a tax that you pay to have the utilities in the city. Make whatever argument you want it is an increase that is bigger than the combined cost of living increase over the past 9 years.
So in closing, I personally want to thank the Mayor who campaigned on the basis that she would make savings of up to 10% in every department.
There is a clear reason why she doesn’t want to answer questions from 250 News, and the matter of that 10% saving comes to mind.
I’m Meisner and that’s one man’s opinion.
Comments
I think that almost everyone would agree that Ms Green will be a one term mayor. Has kept few of the promises she made and seems to only work for special interests groups. That being said the person sitting in the city manager chair can also take some of the blame(notice I said sitting in the chair and not doing the job:)
Looks like we are headed down the road of removing the acting from Ms Soltis title and will again have an inexperienced and under qualified person filling the position. Not something we need when trying to get the city headed in the right direction.
Given that the new city manager will most likely be given a 5 year contract this decision will outlast the mayor and quite a few councillors.
“So back to the bill you previously paid with the discount $348.23 dollars twice a year for the utilities that you use. Effective now there is no discount and moreover, your new bill is $439.28 dollars, a whopping $192.10 increase a year.”
That’s really not true; the bill has not increased by that much. The amount you’re paying has but that’s just because they removed the discount.
As for Green being a one term Mayor? I don’t know, if she makes the necessary deep cuts to the civil service ahe may find herself in office for the long run. There are a lot of tax payers who are sick and tired of the lazy people allegedly working on their dime.
One other question. Does the RDFFG have a garbage plan for those living west of town if the Vanway transfer station closes. Was it not put to allow for closure of the dump on Lower Mud River Road? Are they going to add one west of town like the one at Summit Lake as I cannot see residents driving some 80 or 90 km round trip to Foothills especially when looking at gas prices.
If they don’t come up with a plan I can see illegal dumps popping up on every logging road from here to Hooterville.
Brian for mayor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Really inappropriate comment axeman. Who are these lazy people you are referring to? The city is run poorly. Don’t blame the workers. Why do the people working on the bottom always get rained on? Look further up the chain for the problem.
Mayor Green also ran on the notion we should build a new ice rink and got the support of the Rec league and others to help get elected. Now in the core review we have to raise rate to pay for what we have. After all if Kamloops can pay that much so should we. Perhaps if were going to do everything like Kamloops and there doing such a good job we should have them run our City and we could save all the wages were paying locally.
She also found it necessary to go to Vancouver for the municipal meeting on tax payers dollars or perhaps on her own nickle, then felt it was necessary to come home early to announce her in tension to run for Mayor. That’s how you waste money and it hasn’t stopped no matter what the excuse or who Paid.
I encourage everyone to let them know how you feel write or call your ‘Honourable’ council and our lovely mayor. I am abhorred by this increase especially for those on fixed incomes and single home owners barely scrapping by:
Mayor Green can be reached at:
phone: 250.561.7609
email: mayor@city.pg.bc.ca
Cameron Stolz can be contacted via:
email: Cameron@CameronStolz.ca
web: http://www.cameronstolz.ca
phone: 250-640-5299
Contact Frank Everitt:
by phone at 250.563.7771 or by email at feverittpg@gmail.com
Contact Garth Frizzell
by email at garthfrizzell@citynotice.ca
by phone at: (250) 613-2363
in person at: 1272 Third. Ave
Lyn Hall can be contacted at councillorlhallpg@gmail.com or by phone at 250.612.1539
Contact Albert Koehler:
by phone at 250.563.6556 or by email at akoehler@telus.net
Murry Krause can be contacted by email at: murry.krause@cinhs.org or through his website at: http://www.murrykrause.ca.
Brian Skakun can be contacted via:email:bskakun@telus.net phone:(250) 964-CITY (2489)
Dave Wilbur can be reached at: councillordavewilbur@shaw.ca
The blame doesn’t land entirely on her shoulders. The people really to blame are all those that believed her promises. If memory serves me correct, Cut 10% and no job losses. There may be some inefficiencies in the city but not 10%. So that would have to be wages and services, 10% less police, fire, pool, arenas, garbage, water, pot hole repair and the list goes on. The electorate hold most of the blame especially those that were too lazy to come out to vote or to think before they voted. There is a provincial election coming so please research, think and more importantly vote.
I encourage everyone to let them know how you feel write or call your ‘Honourable’ council and our lovely mayor. I am abhorred by this increase especially for those on fixed incomes and single home owners barely scrapping by:
Mayor Green can be reached at:
phone: 250.561.7609
email: mayor@city.pg.bc.ca
Cameron Stolz can be contacted via:
email: Cameron@CameronStolz.ca
web: http://www.cameronstolz.ca
phone: 250-640-5299
Contact Frank Everitt:
by phone at 250.563.7771 or by email at feverittpg@gmail.com
Contact Garth Frizzell
by email at garthfrizzell@citynotice.ca
by phone at: (250) 613-2363
in person at: 1272 Third. Ave
Lyn Hall can be contacted at councillorlhallpg@gmail.com or by phone at 250.612.1539
Contact Albert Koehler:
by phone at 250.563.6556 or by email at akoehler@telus.net
Murry Krause can be contacted by email at: murry.krause@cinhs.org or through his website at: http://www.murrykrause.ca.
Brian Skakun can be contacted via:email:bskakun@telus.net phone:(250) 964-CITY (2489)
Dave Wilbur can be reached at: councillordavewilbur@shaw.ca
ballsy on February 21 2013 7:29 AM
Really inappropriate comment axeman. Who are these lazy people you are referring to? The city is run poorly. Don’t blame the workers. Why do the people working on the bottom always get rained on? Look further up the chain for the problem.
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The municipal civil service is an over bloated, under worked and over paid bureaucracy. It’s well past time for some serious and deep cuts; preferably to both the management side and the worker side. Our current system is not sustainable.
In response to Axman who said:
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That’s really not true; the bill has not increased by that much. The amount you’re paying has but that’s just because they removed the discount.
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The truth of the matter can be seen if you physically compare 2 utility bills.
You will see that there never was a “discount”. You either paid the bill on time , for a “discount” or paid it late, for a “late fee”. The pay on time fee, in my case, was $348.23 and the pay it late fee was $386.92 due March 30,
2012.
The new, “on time fee”,is $439.28 and the new, “late fee”, due after the due date of Apr. 05, 2013 is $483.21……
Sooooooo….
If you always pay your bills before the due date, the real increase is 26.15 % and if you always pay your bill late the real increase is 24.89 %…
Most people would probably agree the last election was more about voting OUT someone rather than voting IN someone. Little did they know they were getting something worse. I wouldn’t vote for her simply because of a few comments she made as a councillor that clearly showed me what side of the fence she was on, and it was not mine.
Axman for mayor he has the all the solutions. Axman, Flashheart even has all the contact numbers for you.
Hey why not go down to the works yard and tell them face to face what a bunch of lazy bums they all are. You might even get invited for lunch.
I would like to hear your election platform. Must be one hell of a plan.
“Hey why not go down to the works yard and tell them face to face what a bunch of lazy bums they all are. You might even get invited for lunch”
I make a point of telling them that whenever I see them standing around breastfeeding their shovels. I figure it’s my civic duty to point out to them that a shovel works best when it’s actually shoveling. :)
Very well stated, Ben. Brian Skakun seems to be the only council member that has any concern for the taxpayers of Prince George and the increased costs that this mayor and council are burdening everyone with. Most members of the council, including the mayor, were elected on a platform of false pretences. We need a recall system for those elected to municipal office under these circumstances.
I agree Honestjoe, we do need a recall system.
Hang tough ,she a 1 term wonder….
enough bout our Mayor.. Let’s move on to the huge hike is gasoline prices… Coming to work this morning, all the stations jumped to 133 L. while the barrel price goes down, the pumps go up. Gas in Smithers only jumped to 122.. ????????????
I was going to exchange our medium size garbage container for a small one and then noticed there is a $30 charge for exchanges.Does anybody know what this charge is for? If it’s a processing fee which I suspect it is do we not already pay someone to do that as part of their job and paid quite well.These Mayor and councils we get each one is worse than the previous one. When we see where how our taxes are spent nobody does a worse job than our overpaid council. Their pay should be reflected on not what other communities pay their council but by what they do. They say that if you want top people you have to pay. If thats the case how did we end up with this bunch.
Zyblxteu, Hard to hang tough, she can do a lot more damage in this term.
Still: “enough bout our Mayor.. Let’s move on to the huge hike is gasoline prices… Coming to work this morning, all the stations jumped to 133 L. while the barrel price goes down, the pumps go up. Gas in Smithers only jumped to 122..”
A while ago, I drove by the Chevron and Esso stations at the intersection of Domano and O’Grady in College Heights.
Esso was 128.9, Chevron was 133.9. 4 cars were filling up at Chevron, none at Esso. Can anyone explain this? Are those loyalty points or whatever it is people are collecting really worth it? Or are they just oblivious?
Well I can see JB’s concern about gas prices to change the subject concerning our Mayor, Ms. Green. It’s getting to the point that the average retired person will not be able to live in Prince George and will most likely have to move to communities such as Vanderhoof, the extra 60 miles or so to visit family and friends might add up, but then again judging from the latest utility bill, it might be worth it. It was reported in a local paper recently that the Mayor of Vanderhoof felt his community was on the cusp of a boom. I think he is right as citizens migrate from Prince George and try to find an easier place to live. I think that Ft. St. James, Mackenzie, Hixon could all benefit from the poor leadership of Ms. Green and company.
Flashheart thank you for saving me from being kicked off this site for foul langauge,when expressing how I feel about our mayor and increase in the utility bill.By providing the information you did,I now have another outlet for my anger,even though I don’t expect to talk too her holy highness personally.Her new executive assistant was hired to absorb all the crap that Mrs. Green can’t take,as she doesn’t have the intestinal fortitude for it,being the coward she is.
Ya I bet you did axman
I wonder if the Mayor reads this link she might want to explain how since she took over we look like a war zone. No grass cut to a standard we had been accustom to, streets not plowed as in the past the service was not perfect but a lot better than now. She might just want to turn Victoria Street and some other well traveled streets into two lanes because when snow piled up in middle and cars parked in parking spots, I think she forgot the types of Vehicles we drive 2 can’t drive side by side and also get past parked vehicles without something bad happening. Drive down 15th Ave and turn into the turn lane into the Hospital, snow piled up and your vehicle is sticking out into the other lane, Oh well hospital right there and ambulance right there what more could you ask for I wonder if that’s what Kamloops does so Oh well we should do it to.
Mayor Green should understand we live in Prince George and want our city to look good, be safe and affordable. Not only look good perhaps when 2015 comes along because I have a feeling we will be able to eat off the streets for that 2 weeks anyway
Green is not great and is destined for a one term fling, but can you imagine having Stolz and his ego sitting in the driver’s seat.
Yikes….perish the thought.
Resident, you just go wash your mouth out with soap for even writing such a thing;) I will have nightmares now
We seem to be collectively unhappy with our local government. Maybe we should be pleased with our provincial leaders…Skip that. Or our federal leaders, looking out for our welfare…skip that.
Anyone for “reality television”?
The 10% promise was just an election promise. Green’s real interests are in helping her business friends as in the case of Haldi Rd. Green and council are prepared to change the OCP to accommodate a rezoning so investors in the Haldi Rd. property don’t take a loss on an investment they made before the rezoning was approved. They helped fund Green’s campaign and expected the rezoning would be a given. Forget about the legalities, Green would make sure that would be taken care of. Nothing, not even the court ruling saying the OCP wouldn’t allow the rezoning stopped our Mayor….just CHANGE the OCP. So much for supporting the residents of Prince George…..our Mayor is only interested in pleasing her business friends. As for the 10% cuts….that was only a promise…who needs to keep those AFTER being elected. Lets recall the whole council except for Brian Skakun…he is the lone councillor representing the people. To bad we haven’t got recall ….so much more damage can be done if Green and crew are allowed to proceed in changing the OCP.
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