NATURE

Sea, land, river

PEOPLES

Community

For earlier materials see Table of Contents

July 2nd	We See around Rupert

City Council??

I hear that a full contingent going to Ketchikan AK to celebrate July 4^th

Includes mayor, 2 councillors, 2 RCMP officers and 2 staff

(someone has to answer the phone and send emails)

A total of 7 people spending 2-3 days etc at ‘OUR expense’

Parking Meter symbol of City Hall? – see previous ---and here --but here it hangs its head in shame

True the parking lot was about half empty – and it would not look good if the rubber traffic trade found a totally empty parking lot for which they would have to pay to park --- they might get idea no one else ever comes here ---- but then we have to put up with the Rent a Mobile Home crowd ‘camping’ out to save some $$$ ---more later

And while City Councillors go off to Ketchikan to wave in July 4^th parade

Or swim etc at Civic Center for zilch (see below—and earlier )

Infrastructure continues to fall apart – I would suggest this is a liability issue – and it’s on City property

More later

From the Annual Report 2008

	A model of yearly plan??
	Note how items quantified and only the last item not completed fully

I selected the water utility because the 2008 Plan & success was clear/ quantified and useful --- but look at 2009 – all good intentions, etc ---- the implications here is that 2008 goals were written at the end of the year not the beginning

Thus check out the 2009 ‘Plan’ --- the water main on E 8^th street was prompted by threat of a law suit (I hear) well after the end of 2008 fiscal year

Still these kinds of ‘Strategic Plan Objectives’ should be part of the budget package each year –presented to Council and public at that time

When written?

Note City Staff + Fire + RCMP get full use of facilities for free – while poor gets charity for something their tax dollars paid for

I will argue another time that even ‘Everyone gets to Play’ did not spend its full allocation in 2008

Then there is the Recreation Complex

30T$ NTI Monies went to gym seats

While this is bully for the Civic Center --- but as Joy Thorkelson commented in recent City Council meeting – there is only a fixed amount of $$ allocated to Rupert by Northern Trust fund --- and we can fritter it away with small projects like this or we can plan how to allocate the monies via City Council

But that would imply leadership at City Hall

	Actual 2008	Budget 2008	Actual 2007
Parks & Recreation	3,950,855	3,579,903	3,933,924
Revenues
Recreation Centre, Programs, Gym, Hall	182,339	176,000	208,857
Swimming Pool	353,694	330,000	280,776
Arena	184,666	158,000	151,674
Field Rentals	3,889	4,000	75

Total Revenues	724,588	668,000	641,382
*Cost to Taxpayers*	3,226,267	2,911,903	3,292,542

Civic Center Complex costs taxpayers 3.2M$

Note this is more than we put into City Water etc – which is fully supported by feees and even subsidizes ‘general government by over 2M$)

Created by LG on 2/7/2009

Last updated on Thursday, July 02, 2009

NATURE

PEOPLES

For earlier materials see Table of Contents

We See around Rupert

From the Annual Report 2008