Is City Council Taking a Look at IPG?
Prince George, B.C. – The City of Quesnel may be in the process of dissolving its Economic Development Corporation but don’t expect more of the same here in P.G. with Initiatives Prince George.
“We’ve gone through our budget process and now we’re just going into the fourth reading sometime in the next couple of months. So there was no discussion during the budget deliberation around IPG,” says Mayor Lyn Hall.
“If somebody from council wants to take a look at anything in the budget at fourth reading, they have that opportunity, but we’ve had no discussion about changing anything at IPG.”
Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson said last week his council believes that an in-house economic development function will more directly align with its strategic plan and budget constraints which includes a $575,000 budget shortfall.
In order to deal with the shortfall they’ve also rescinded a remuneration increase for council and mayor and froze wages for senior management.
However in Prince George, Hall says the city is getting “good bang for the buck” for the roughly $1 million budgeted each year for IPG.
”Yes, and I think that it’s our economic arm for the City and I think with that organization they’re doing what the City is asking and that’s to be our economic development arm,” says Hall.
“They’re into the “Move up PG” program which is trying to garner more people, more skilled labour to come into Prince George, so I think its doing its job.
As for whether or not bringing IPG in-house would save any money he’s not sure.
“I don’t know what, if any, cost savings would be there by bringing them in-house,” says Hall.
And over the last three years that I’ve been on council we certainly haven’t talked about them coming in-house.”
Comments
I am trying to not be negative about IPG but I would really like to know what they have done in the time they have been there. $1,000,000.00 a year is a lot of money if we aren’t getting anything out of it other than a couple of trips overseas.
It needs to be dissolved, when we are seeing our city taxes and fees on the continual increase its time to cut the fat.. IPG is fat. How many people work under the IPG banner?
If they are acting as the development arm of the city ,wouldn’t it make sense to have them at City Hall? Why lease a different location?
Perhaps our Mayor and WL Mayor Walt Cobb can sit down together and compare notes, might see some good changes.
Ah yes, another round of severance package handouts, to friends, on the horizon!
Its such a shame to watch the city mismanage money such as the funding of IPG, DBIA,
and so on. Then we have the ymca totally subsidized, the UNBC gym subsidized, and so on, Northern health is out of control. Lots of smokers working there. This will not last forever, 2 firechiefs for every 3 fireman. on and on. I see a lot of union jobs
going down the tube lately. Good for you if you work for the city, Northern health,
IPG, the iniversity. Sorry taxpayers, not good for you.
You just gotta hop on the cash cow train before it’s all gone…..next stop PG
If they were generating that kind of money to justify their existence, they would be trumpeting it from the highest mountains. Their silence speaks volumes.
IPG is not generating $1 Million of activity in PG, so it is a losing proposition.
But, it’s taxpayer dollars so the regular rules don’t apply.
I would like to have the mayor and council state exactly what IPG has accomplished. Or not. I think we as taxpayers, need to have this laid out in black and white.
What is it exactly that they do and what has become of their efforts?
For the 1 million per year payed out to IPG we could hire 8 Bylaw officers and equip them with vehicles to generate funds and take care of bylaw infractions.
Which would save the city alot of money . IMO
Mr Hall, please prove to us why we need this, show us with real numbers and just not talk.
Why is IPG looking for skilled labour to come to PG? Please tell me what type of skilled labour they are looking for. Did they ever think of training people to do certain jobs. Looks to me that they are planning another trip to some other country for a holiday to look for someone that we do not have a job for when they get here.
Sure would be nice to here or read of IPG successes. After all we all have vested interests.
I am not aware of any new business generated by IPG since its inception over twenty years ago? I think often it has exceeded its mandate and operated as a regional economic development office doing the work of the provincial government and therefor it’s the provincial government that should be funding IPG. The province is the one that gets the resource royalties so they should be paying for its promotion and not downloading this to lower levels of government. For local issues this should be handled by existing staff at city hall and by our elected councillors IMO.
Good discussion,folks, and not particularly negative. A common thread seems to be for City Hall to tell the citizens what benefit we’re getting from IPG. That’s not an unreasonable request – what about it, Mr. Mayor?
Initiatives Prince George has the following.
Heather Oland C.E.O.
1. Economic Development Officer
1. Business Development Officer
1. Trade and Investment Officer
1. Economic Development Co-ordinator
1. Manager, Marketing and Communication
1. Manager, Administration
1. Administration Co-Ordinator.
Total 8.
Throw in Eight (8) members of the board of directors (all familiar names), plus Two(2) ex officio members from the City of Prince George and there you have it.
I agree that IPG should be required to give a yearly report on what they accomplish, and the City should be looking at them with a view of getting rid of IPG if it cannot show that it is in fact needed as its presently set up,.
“But, it’s taxpayer dollars so the regular rules don’t apply.”
Very true! At every level of government, as if it is some kind of easy come, easy go currency. It ought to get more respect! Too much of it is wasted on empire building. Once built successfully these monsters resist most dismantling efforts.
One million dollars a year would replace a lot of ageing infrastructure in PG. rather than wasting it on IPG.
Check your utility bill that I recently received from the City of PG. recently. I now pay $90.00 per month. The city’s reasoning….to replace ageing infrastructure.
Too many taxes and too much debt being put on the shoulders of PG taxpayers.
Maybe Bob Simpson for mayor of PG would be a good idea. I am becoming disappointed with the actions of Lyn Hall. Is he going to rubber stamp everything from the secretive bureaucracy at City Hall?
Venture Kamloops has the following
1-Executive Director
1-Manager, Business, Retention and Expansion
1-Business Attraction Specialist
1-Business,Retension and Expansion Specialist
1-Office Manager
Total 5
IPG. Total actual revenue 2013 $1,495,819
City of PG $1,024,904
Other Public $288,725
Private $182,190
Total Actual Expenses 2013 $1,461,176
Salaries and Benefits & Consulting $712,146
Operating Expenses $231,535
Program Delivery $517,495
The 2013 revenue and expenses reference only the general operations of IPG. They do not reference the real estate, capital or City Centre Ventures funds.
I would assume that the real estate funds, would be rent from office space in the building on first avenue, as they have a couple of tenents.
It also looks like they may have had only 7 staff in 2013. The salary and benefits dropped from $760,540 in 2012 to $712,146 in 2013.
PVal, you concerned about public dollars after you said the firefighters contract was a great deal?? Flip flop, pick a side :/
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