Take a pause for the cause
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By Letter to the Editor on April 20, 2021.
Editor: The Municipal Development Plan (MDP) – one of the most critical documents to impact the future of Lethbridge – is currently before City Council. The MDP sets the policy direction for everything the City does for the next 10 years, which in turn dictates where our tax dollars are spent and how services will be provided. Even more specific and detailed is the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), another massive document that will govern the spending of potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in identified projects. Following are some concerns we have with the current MDP and CIP process.
Public input needed on City projects
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By Letter to the Editor on April 8, 2021.
Editor: The City of Lethbridge undertakes hundreds of millions of dollars in expenditures within the Capital Improvement Plan. Considering the incredible size of these expeditures and the ongoing costs to maintain projects, we would expect the greatest citizen input, transparency, and scrutiny! However, the City is only now asking for citizen input, and the ask is quietly hidden away. It seems self-serving to seek this input after projects are already recommended, and when so little information is provided to make an informed assessment. Consider that infrastructure has a lifespan far beyond when it is built, and requires ongoing costs to maintain.
Parker needs to resign
Yes
Editor: Many taxpayers may not understand Lethbridge City Councillor Ryan Parker’s seemingly odd admission of a mistake at the City Council Meeting of February 09, 2021. (Video of Lethbridge City Council Meeting – item 1.2.3-frame stop 2:28). Everyone makes mistakes, no big deal. Except it was a big deal! Part of Councillor Parker’s duties include being a member of the ‘Economic Standing Policy Committee’, and one of their responsibilities is to oversee and vote on administrative salaries. However, Councillor Parker’s wife is employed as Corporate Sustainability Manager for the City of Lethbridge. It is irrelevant that no pay increase was at issue in this particular instance. It is a conflict for him to participate in any way in discussions or votes that pertain to her salary.