Class is in session for city council

–Managing editor Scott Neufeld EDITORIAL http://www.dailycourier.ca/ 08/16

With the presentation of 6,000 signatures at city hall on Wednesday, it appears the city’s bid to borrow $20 million for the library/civic complex has stalled. Even if half the names on the list are disqualified there would be more than enough signatures to reach the 2,777 needed to defeat the approval process. The whole situation reveals just how badly city council misread public sentiment. In fact it’s alarming how out of touch they seemed to be with the electorate. While many support the library, a vocal group of residents remain uninterested in shelling out millions of dollars for yet another civic project.

It’s not as if there was no warning. The Ministry of Community Services website warns municipalities about the alternative approval process by saying “if an issue is controversial or requires a significant contribution of taxpayers’ dollars, the number of elector response forms submitted to the local government will likely exceed the 10 per cent threshold.” The ministry’s website recommends going directly to a referendum because it would be “timelier.”

Having a referendum would have made far more sense because then voters who approved of the borrowing plan would have had their voice. This paper received letters from people who supported the plan and from those who were against it. It’s unclear which view represented the view of the majority of voters. Council chose to silence their supporters and opened themselves up to defeat by their detractors. It hardly seems democratic giving just one side the opportunity to voice their opinion. Now council is left with a major decision. They cannot proceed with the current borrowing plan without a referendum. The city will now have to significantly reduce the cost of the project or find other ways of coming up with the money. They may even sell off some property.

Whatever they come up with it’s hard to believe that going through the alternative approval process was any faster than a referendum would have been. The explanation given for not having a referendum was to get everything settled in time to receive grant money. But with the project seemingly in limbo, it seems city council has gambled and lost. When council comes forward with their next step they need to make sure that it is a plan that is palatable to taxpayers. Not only that but they need to at least get some public input this time. This entire process seemed rife with arrogance. Council (other than Barry Beardsell who opposed the manoeuvre) chose to press ahead without getting full public approval. Hopefully, they’ve learned a lesson.