Editor:
On May 8 at the civic centre, city council held a meeting concerning the budgetary problems facing Prince Rupert. It was an interesting evening.
Three scenarios were provided for the shortfall in funds for a balanced budget. What was curious about the proceedings was the fact that Council only provided short term fixes for a long term problem.
Raising taxes and cutting services was the third option. However, this solution only addressed a one year reprieve from the gathering storm. It would appear that we need to take a long and hard look at what the city needs in the short and long term. With diminishing revenues, which will not be alleviated in the near future, and rising costs some hard decisions need to be made. Is this Council willing and able to make those hard choices?
Here are some short and long term possibilities to address our budgetary issues:
1. Reduce salaries across the board for all city employees. Management should take the greater hit as they have larger salaries.
2. Instead of reducing salaries, shorten the work week for all employees — City Hall, Public Works, Civic Centre, Pool etc. Those on salary would take a cut in pay of up to five per cent. This amount for salaried workers may be too modest and this rate may need to be increased.
3. Change the hours of operation at City Hall. Open on shortened hours from 2 to 7 p.m. This would allow for those working in town to still access the needed services while reducing the hours of operation and reducing payroll. Do a similar thing for the pool, Civic Centre. (see number 9)
4. Think in the long term of making the Fire Department a volunteer service. Use Terrace as an example of what works. Do not buy another fire truck. We simply do not need it.
5. Look at the ferry schedule to the airport and negotiate part time work there. Do they work an eight hour day? Isn't this really a part-time job?
6. Change garbage collection to once every two weeks. Encourage recycling, composting, use of garburators in homes, using the recycling services-actually give credits for producing less waste.
7. Turn down the heat in all City facilities to 68F. When an area is empty lower that temperature to 64F. In the warmer months simply turn off the heat. Place LED lights in all facilities when the cash is available.
8. Council should work for the short term on $1.00 per year until the budget is balanced and sustainable and the Mayor should work for half the salary he receives.
9. Do a usage study of all facilities in the town. Which hours have the greatest use? Give the number of people using the services at that time. Graph this use per month for a year. This should give a good idea of when facilities should be closed down and when they should be opened.
10. A more drastic measure is to close the pool and the Civic Centre and mothball both facilities. Once there are sufficient funds to reopen these areas then they become open again.
11. Increase user fees for all facilities. If people don't like the increases then the programs and facilities should be closed.
Some of the suggestions listed above are extreme. However, we are in a long term problem with painful alternatives. In no way is this list exhaustive.
A suggestion for future public meetings is if you really want public input, the problem should be stated and then those present could be placed in small groups with pen and paper. Discussion amongst these groups should be recorded with suggestions to solve the problem. This would be a much better use of everyone's' time.
Does our City Council have the intestinal fortitude to act in a responsible way with painful but long term solutions?
I hope so.
Respectfully submitted,
Janet Anderson