This is the first of a long series on Promises Broken by Mayor Rick Green of the Township of Langley. Candidate Green promised much in 2008 while on the campaign trail and now we see if the rubber has met the road after one year on the job.The Water Management Plan
During the campaign Township Council received a DRAFT Water Management Plan. Staff detailed measures that COULD be taken in order to help conserve our precious water supply. The DRAFT report suggested that private wells could be metered to help people see how much water was being used, with an eye at helping them to now conserve and cut back on this usage.
Then candidate Rick Green took this draft plan and metering proposal to the streets. He told the public that the Township of Langley would meter private wells, conveniently leaving out the for purposes of conservation part. Green promoted the idea that water meters would include the ToL billing residents for water from private wells.
As this issue was before Council and then Mayor Kurt Alberts did not know the wishes of Council, he wasn't able to comment on this issue until the final debate. By then the damage had been done. Kurt Alberts DID NOT support water metering even for conservation purposes, as that would give the perception of billing, etc. Neither did the majority of Council and so before the election, this metering provision was removed from the draft plan. Kurt Alberts was being a great mayor by waiting to see what the wishes of Council were. He put aside his own opinion to give that a chance. All of this planning was being done so that the Township of Langley would say how water would be managed here, and not the Provincial government dictating.
On Rick Green's candidate website which was removed directly following the election, but which The Langley Record has full copies of, Green said,
"Currently - Under Kurt Alberts leadership the Township initiated a Water Management Plan. without initial public input and consultation starting with a joint Township and Provincial Government initiative in 2004 designed to tax the groundwater resource.Promise Broken
This initiative was designed to go public and to be sent to Victoria for implementation in early 2008 after a very short two month time frame, including two open houses.
After a significant taxpayer revolt, Council backed off of the Taxation Authority and metering of private wells. The second draft has now been introduced and will be studied over the next ten months. This plan includes an estimated administration cost of $700,000 to 1,000,000 per year for 20 years. Who pays and for what?
Proposed under Rick Green
Put a hold on the current proposed draft Water Management Plan #2 and hold talks with the Provincial Government, our MLA's and the Federal Government through our MP to identify our real needs in this process, specifically to address the needed water line infrastructure required into areas such as Brookswood, Aldergrove, Murrayville and the Gloucester Industrial Estates.
There are some positive recommendations within this plan but also some very real negative impacts or certainly items to be clarified. Something that needs immediate review is the estimated annual cost of $700,000 to $1,000,000 per year for 20 years to pay for annual administration of the plan...."
On September 21, 2009 Council approved the very same plan that Kurt Alberts had supported. Mayor Green did not raise any objections and only Council Kositsky voted in opposition to the plan being forwarded to the Provincial Government. Mayor Rick Green broke this promise to the residents of the Township of Langley.
8 comments:
Ta da! Great report.....and now I see Doug McFee is having a water forum tonight somewhere and he is looking at the use of water meters to save the Hoppington. One Councillor lives on the Hoppington, she voted for the Water Management Plan (according to your notes)but was a huge supporter of the anti-meter campaign. Here it is being looked at as a viable solution to a serious problem - hum I guess the Mayor farted on the issue and one Cllr. may have to eat a bit of her own medicine.
I'm 1 of the people who voted for Rick because I was pissed off with Kurt on this plan. I'll never make that mistake again and neither will my neighbors. We have been talking about this many times and Tricky Ricky is toast for breaking this promise to us.
FORMER MAYOR KURT ALBERTS HAS A WATER METER ON HIS BUSINESS IN FORT LANGLEY THE SAME AS ANY OTHER BUSINESS IN THE TOWNSHIP.THE RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS DO NOT HAVE WATER METERS. THEY ALL PAY THE SAME RATE IF THEY USE 500GALLONS A DAY OR 5000GALLONS A DAY. PERSONALLY I THINK IT IS UNFAIR TO OUR RESPONSIBLE CITIZENS THAT DO THEIR PART TO CONSERVE WATER TO PAY THE SAME AMOUNT AS PEOPLE WHO TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY AT ALL.MUCH OF THE WATER FOR RESIDENTIAL USE IS DRAWN FROM THE ACQUIFURE. WHY SAVE FARMLAND IF WE USE ALL THE WATER FROM UNDER THE FARMS FOR RESIDENTIAL USE?THE MATTER OF CAPPING RUNNING ARTESIAN WELLS IS AGOOD IDEA.MOST OF THE ARTESIAN WELLS FLOW OUT OVER A CLAY BASE SOIL AND THEREFORE NONE OF IT GET BACK IN THE ACQUIFURE IT JUST RUNS AWAY OUT TO THE PACIFIC. APPROX. 60% OF THE WATER USED FOR RESIDENTIAL USE COMES FROM OUR ACQUIFURE THE REST FROM GVRD.
Tricky Ricky at it again
Shame Tricky Ricky shame
Simply put the man told lies and promised the world to get elected and now his weaknesses are showing through big time. He is a weak link to getting anything done in this communtiy.
How much will Tricky Ricky charge me to shower off the stench of his horse manure promises????????
You know what is fascinating here, as a concerned citizen, taxpayer and one who lives close to the Hoppington, I attended the Water Forum sponsred by Doug McFee and SRES. I had never heard these speakers before - wow!
Firstly, I saw Cllrs. Ward, Richter, Fox (good on them)there but no Mayor Green - does he really care, I think not.
Secondly, two of the speakers were absolute in their support of meters on wells for conservation purposes. Hans a retired UBC professor was adamant that was the only way the Hoppington had any hope of being saved.
Where was Green? Absent of course, to hear three good presentatiosn full of information and strategies.
Not only did he make a broken promise, he doesn't care either. He is a fraud plain and simple.
Your truck had the wrong logo on it. I saw the right one the other day on 64th and 248th, it was exactly the same truck but it said, GREEN WASTE. I think it was referring to the mayor.
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