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LETTER – Some questions for the City about Build Kamloops and the AAP

I sent this email to the City on Sept. 4 and haven’t received a reply:

Dear City Council:

Please find numerous questions I would like answered.

1/ Will taxpayers whose properties fall under the 10-year revitalization tax exemption be contributing on the basis of the current value of their new apartment or would it be levied on the former value of the demolished properties?

2/ Furthermore, why do the Alternative Approval Process (AAP) forms state that taxpayers are on the hook for $275 million for 30 years, yet Build Kamloops spokesperson Kristen Rodriguez was quoted in an Armchair Mayor article as saying the tax increase will be “in perpetuity”?

3/ If this was a mortgage, taxpayers would stop paying once the debt was paid off. Why is the Build Kamloops debt different?

4/ Does City Hall have an estimate for next year’s tax increase? Will there be a utility fee increase as well?

5/ Does Build Kamloops have an estimate for additional ongoing costs of the facilities like equipment, staffing, maintenance, insurance, security and utilities?

6/ Does the City plan to also fund a new RCMP building? If so, is there an estimate of cost and is there a timeline for start/completion?

7/ Are there any plans to build a new city hall in the near future, and if so, has any ball park cost been determined and a location?

8/ Has Build Kamloops incorporated ways the new facilities could generate income, such as by including residential or commercial spaces in the structures?

9/ Is there any data available that indicates the actual bookings and usage at our ice rink facilities and theatres in town, such as the Sagebrush?

Thank you for your attention to these matters, and I await a response, as soon as possible.

Yours sincerely,
DAVID BRUMMUND
Kamloops, BC.

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About Mel Rothenburger (11571 Articles)
ArmchairMayor.ca is a forum about Kamloops and the world. It has more than one million views. Mel Rothenburger is the former Editor of The Daily News in Kamloops, B.C. (retiring in 2012), and past mayor of Kamloops (1999-2005). At ArmchairMayor.ca he is the publisher, editor, news editor, city editor, reporter, webmaster, and just about anything else you can think of. He is grateful for the contributions of several local columnists. This blog doesn't require a subscription but gratefully accepts donations to help defray costs.

3 Comments on LETTER – Some questions for the City about Build Kamloops and the AAP

  1. Huh. City council wouldn’t let people ask questions about the AAP at council or committee meetings and told them to send their questions to citycouncil@kamloops.ca to be answered.

    But now they’re not answering those emailed questions either?

    Like

  2. It would be interesting to know if and when you will get a response. And not only a response but an intelligent one. My guess is if you get a response it will be vague at best. Please keep us posted.

    Like

  3. You will not get a reply. The reasons:

    City council doesn’t know the answers.

    City council doesn’t care to know the answers, it’s only important that this gets forced through.

    City council doesn’t bother to reply to emails, or let people ask questions unless it’s on their agenda.

    City council believes this is a foregone conclusion, so why waste time responding to someone?

    You have been identified as a person in opposition to council, and therefore will be treated with disrespect, and not afforded an answer to your concerns.

    Isn’t it incredible, that out of 8 councillors, not a single one could bother to respond to you? This is how they treat the citizens, like paupers and peasants, a mere annoyance to bat away like flies on a hot summer day.

    Liked by 1 person

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