Welcome back Ben. Hope you had a good holiday nice and warm and relaxin. More jobs lost here we do need higher taxes. Since the taxes will be there they should use the money to fix the roads rid them of potholes, not waste it on tourism, we need jobs more.

Spend now and pay later. That was certainly the case with road maintenance they told us last year. So then they opted for spend now and pay now for fixing the potholes and upted the taxes accordingly. Whatever happened to that? I saw no change. An extra crew was not added, as I recall.

At last Tuesday's Vancouver City Council meeting the Councillors were told to look for a 6 to 7% tax increase based on the proposed budget presented by Staff. The Manager was told by the Council to look harder, cut costs, and increase revenues by seeking projects funded by the higher levels of government.

Are we hearing similar words from our experienced and inexperienced Councillors? Let's hope the newbies are not hiding behind what legacy may have been left for them. They took on the job, just like a doctor takes on the job to fix sick people. What did they expect? Enough of them ran on increased fiscal reponsibility.

So, go to it and see if you can do better. Good luck!!

I think it is crap that the city is going to raise taxes at this time!! The provincial and federal governments felt like there was a need to cut taxes and put more money into the hands of the tax payers. Now our city wants to take what ever breaks we got. They kept our assessments high in order to rape the tax payers even more. NO MONEY TO FIX THE ROADS!!! but they still want to borrow to the tune of 64 million for an ARTS CENTRE AND TRAILS!! What happened to the CANCER CLINIC, MORE DOCTORS & NURSES????? I am so fed up with this kind of gauging and line of thought.

Welcome back Ben!! :}

As usual the City trys to get us sidetracked.

They say that they need this tax increase to maintain the present level of service.

Who needs the present level of service??? We have more police and probably more fireman, and city staff per capita than any other City of this size in Canada.

We have a budget this year of $112 Million for a City of 74,500 people. In other words $1500.00 for every man, women, and child in the City.

The previous Mayor and Council were at best frivalous with tax payers money, and if the new council doesnt get their S--t together they will be the same.

Waste: Replay board for the CN Centre, $1 Million dollars.

$600,000.00 or more per year to host the Cougers at the CN Centre, and they will be looking for more money from the city because of decreasing ticket sales.

Camerson St., Bridge boondoogle, which was originally to cost somewhere in the area of $6 Million and even with $1 Million from the Feds and $1 Million from the Province, this bridge will cost us (taxpayers of Pr George) closer to $10 Million.

The new fangled garbage collection system that was to save us $75,000.00 per year is over budget $463,000.00 . What happened to the savings????

One huge cost will be increases in salary to an already bloated City staff. Why are they getting pay increases from tax payers, when the taxpayers are getting pay cuts, and are losing their jobs.

The simple solution to this problem is a minimum reduction in the overall budget across the board of 5%. There is a better and cheaper way of doing business in this town. Right now they are all living high off the hog.

The new council better wake up and smell the roses. Forget about the looney idea of a performing arts centre, and revisit the huge expenditure for a showcase police station. Look at the millions doled out to IPG with no return on the investment.

No more crap like the Horizen Air Fiasco. Forget about the lunatic idea of building a co-gen station to heat Government buildings.

The Charles Jago Sport Centre which originally was to cost us nothing to maintain, then changed to cost the City $300,000.00 per year will now cost us more to operate. How much more should be made public shortly.

These guys are out of control, and its time to get spending in line, or start to do some firing.

BEAUTIFULLY SAID Palopu!!!

How about a break for the tax payer. 3.4% each year is not a accurate number. The 3.4% this year is 3.4% on top of last years increase. Banks call this compound interest. Some money could be saved by closing the ice oval. The lights in the CN Center parking lot could be turned off when the parking lot is empty. Can the PAC and the money that keeps getting spent on PAC studies. Bury the community energy project. This on going fiasco has cost the taxpayers hundreds of thousand of dollars over the past 8 years. Any grade 8 student proficient in math could tell you this is a money loser.
It is time for city council to bite the bullet and clamp down on city managers, decrease a few non-essential services, and get in tune with the real world.

Have you noticed all this taxation insanity has been getting worse since the Olympics were announced?

Axe the PAC! The world is in a recession and we are still entertaining the notion of this pie in the sky, aerie fairie crap.
The basics need to be tended to. For those that want a PAC raise the money yourselves and all the power to you. If it doesn't happen no one will die. Let's concentrate on a cancer clinic and bridges and roads.

NEWS FLASH!!!!!!!!!

The Cancer Clinic is Provincial Money!!!

Keep your eyes on the pea under the thimbles.

Let's close some ice arenas. Let's close the Art Gallery. Let's shut down the Softball fields.

Let's give $1,000 to the person in the city who can come up with the most savings with the least impact on the City's operations and on the residents of the community.

Another $9,000 if it will, in addition, promote additional jobs in the community.