WE hope the 86 B.C. mayors caucusing in Penticton this week in the hopes of negotiating a new deal with senior governments on taxation revenue are successful in marshalling some compelling evidence for innovative solutions.
Because it looks like the provincial Liberals don't want to hear from the farm team.
How else to explain the op-ed piece released Thursday - two days before the mayors wrap up their meeting - by Minister Ida Chong that states: "reallocating current tax revenues could put in jeopardy the crucial services delivered by senior levels of government."
The piece goes on to delineate increased municipal funding provided by the province and suggests local governments should consider cutting costs - as if that thought might never have come up at municipal budget deliberations. However, the minister does correctly point out that municipal staff have had an easy ride compared to most workers during the global economic downturn, receiving annual pay hikes while provincial public service employees have been held to zero wage increases in the last two years.
Chong ends with a reference to the province's new office of the auditor general for local government. We hope that's not perceived as some sort of threat, but as a genuine call to evaluate best practices and shared services.
Because what taxpayers would really like is for all three levels of government to stop pointing fingers at each other and get together to find ways to use their hard-earned money more efficiently.
