By LR Special Editor Michelle Sparrow
As a Homeowner and a mother of four, I have been approaching the Township budget process as I would with my own personal household budget. During this time of economic uncertainly, I like many others, have reassessed my own personal household budget. My husband and I have made choices, like putting off that family trip or a large reno to our home. We have done so because what is ultimately most important to our family is security, peace of mind, and the knowledge that we will make it through and be stronger for it.
I look at the Langley Township’s budget options and I am left thinking of what it would look like if it were a typical household’s budget. Let’s say for example that a typical household chose to budget in a similar fashion to Mayor Green’s finance committee’s recommendations. They take their expenses and income and come up with a “lean” budget, which they feel will be the best option for their family to get through the tough times. They trim that fat and only budget for current expenses, not leaving room for a surplus of savings or household improvements. They live this way for three years, feeling good that they have tightened the purse strings, and are living on less. As the years pass, they begin to notice home repairs that are mounting, but not having budget for that, they are forced to leave them for better times.
At the end of the three years they take stock of where they are now. They are stunned to find they have been left with a staggering amount of debt and have a house that is falling apart. They thought they had made the right choice, but what they were not aware of, was the real cost of living. Over the years their lean budget was actually carrying forward a large amount of debt each year. The repairs they had been putting off have also compounded, and the odd fix it jobs have now turned into major repairs. We can all look at this scenario and say, they did not make the right choices for their family. It does no good if they are not working with the true numbers. One needs to account for life’s “what if’s” and everyday repairs, and still come out ahead each year. Whether it is a household or a Municipal budget, we all play by the same rules. The Township is faced with the same challenges and responsibilities, as we the homeowners are, just on a much larger scale. We have to be responsible and have our eyes wide open to the reality of our financial situation.
It makes no sense to create a budget to live by that in all reality will only leave us with debt, a depleted savings account, and a long list of repairs. Mayor Green’s finance committee’s recommendation of less than 1% a year will leave us with a shortfall of $5,825,426 by 2011, all to keep as close to the promise of 0-0-0 as possible. I think each and every Township resident needs to look the true number of what a properly funded budget will cost your household each year. Is it $65, $100, $200 more a year per household?? We will have to wait and see the numbers, but it seems to me the best approach is to face things head on and plan for the reality.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Friday, March 13, 2009
Two Sides to Every Story
Councillor Kim Richter's website today attacks SYNOVATE a global leader in market intelligence and research. The ALR Commission and Township of Langley staff have also now been brought into question through innuendo in the Richter website article. We will address the poll in another post, but we wish to address the ALR Commission and the application findings here.
Although Councillor Kim Richter provided the public with this overview findings of the ALR Commission, The Langley Record now provides you with the other side of the coin:
Despite the rhetoric from VALTAC , numerous Green insiders and Mayor Green's own public statements of the public process being a "sham", the ALR Commission staff have now confirmed for us that "In 2004 and 2005, area farmers contacted the Commission to express concerns over potential agricultural impacts on farm operations" with any proposed overpass.
At NO time did ANY ToL councillor ever state that the proposed overpass would have no impact on agricultural lands. As stated in the findings of the ALR Commission:
"...the proposal has been necessitated by events which predate the ALR and which the Commission has acknowledged in previous decisions, thus the focus of the Commission's decision should be on minimizing impacts on agriculture and wherever possible achieving benefits to agriculture"
It is a fact that the Commission's agreement in principle with the new road clearly stated nine (9) pre-requisites to minimize the impact and IMPROVE agriculture in the area (see Page 5 of the document for the details of the 9 prerequisites).
Why did the Green/Richter slate dig up this report now, when it was clearly available online since November/December 2008? Yet another ploy by the Green/Richter slate to kill the overpass, but more importantly to kill future agricultural benefits from this project! That's right folks, Mayor Green and Councillor Kim Richter have ignored the fact that a condition of this overpass work moving forward is for the project to greatly improve drainage for the entire Milner Valley, in order to enhance agriculture for the wider area.
Therefore, you can see that the desires of a few Green/Richter slate insiders is more important to the slate than the Milner Valley as a whole.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Editor Bucholtz Becomes Publicist
News Flash - See below in Red
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"A publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book or film. Publicists can be local, regional or national level. They can also have special expertise in areas such as entertainment or literary publicity. An older meaning of the term is closer to pamphleteer: someone who circulates ideas by publishing them, perhaps in ephemeral forms."Just before the municipal election last year, The Langley Times began to embark on new territory. While other candidates were forced to pay for high-priced election advertising, The Times allowed members of the Green/Richter slate to use their Letters to the Editor as free publicity and advertising.
Since the election we have been The Langley Times Editor Frank Bucholtz use his Opinion page to advance the agendas of Mayor Green, Councillor Richter, and now the NDP. In fact, Bucholts had an Opinion written by Langley Tmes Al Irwin removed one Sunday evening earlier this year after the mayor called his home to complain about the article that appeared online. You can read the full piece here, even though The Langley Times removed all traces of it long ago. Bucky and the mayor certainly did not want you to see this.
In our Opinion, Editor Frank Bucholtz is the new Publicist for the Green/Richter slate and the NDP. Now that Bucky got two of Green slate elected, he has moved on temporarily to the the pamphleteer for the NDP. Be warned, his opinions are meant to create an outcome. So, is this editor of the local rag a pamphleteer or a puppeteer?
The "other" blog has just posted an open endorsement for the NDP candidate for MLA for Langley. Councillor Richtor slams Councillor Bateman for his BC Liberal affiliation, but she how now shown her true NDP colours. You will recall that Richter ran under the NDP banner and lost in the past.
Kim Rihcter's NDP Support & Endorsement from the other blog:
The Langley & Provincial Liberal arrogance of their blatant right of entitlement to interfere with our Langley municipal elections on School Board and Langley Township and most recently the blackmail shotgun approach on the Glover overpass is unfathomable and grossly disrespectful of our electorate. We must teach them a lesson that they will long remember. Please Vote to oust Polak and Coleman.
When Will Richter Lash Out?
The Township of Langley budget process is in full swing and staff have tried their best to work with all the revenue numbers, projects to be funded, unfunded, etc. In the first budget meeting Councillor Kim Richter accused staff of trying to promote a tax increase when they prepared various models of the numbers. Apparently Richter hasn't much indepth knowledge of budgets, as this is a normal part of the business budgetting proces.
Cllr. Richter also took opportunity during that same meeting to attack Colin Wright, Manager of Engineering for the Township. Mr. Wright is a well-qualified engineer and he simply stated that the ToL has a tremendous amount of roads and other infrastructure assets that require ongoing maintenance and upgrades to protect these valuable assets. In the past, budget cuts simply postponed this asset management and caused huge problems that required catch up later. Mr. Wright communicated a well-known fact that a response to a crisis costs much more (sometimes 25-50% more) than simply maintaining assets.
Councillor Richter loves to order off the extensive menu, but she always seems to skip out when the bill is coming. One of our editors is doing the research, but we've found that many council colleagues are tired of her promoting various projects and causes, only to vote against the final budget. We fully expect Councillor Kim Richter to vote against this budget. Although it will be packaged as something that it is not, you can be sure her vote will be purely for political reasons and most certainly for self-promotion.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Mean is Now Green
Several readers have called and also one posted here about the Kim Richter overpass flip-flop.
Yes, you are correct. On November 12, 2008 in an all-candidates meeting, Councillor Richter clearly stated that we cannot be quick to turn away $40M in funding. Before the vote, Richter took a back seat in allowing Green to have a roid rage, accusing the council of bowing to provincial government pressure, being held hostage over the $40M, etc.
It was also interesting to see that despite the local media saying that it is council who are still fighting the last election. Just hearing Green's prepared statement read to the smaller love fest group the meeting will make it clear to everyone that this rookie mayor is still fighting the last election. It was a mean-spirited statement from this mayor. But Bucky and the crew just continue to love him all over!
We also received many calls and comments about a certain "blog editor" that we have chosen not to publish here. Members of the general public watched his videos of the overpass discussion and vote and many people called him a "creep" for zooming in his camera several times on Councillor Jordan Bateman as Mayor Green was speaking. "Creep" was the kinder of the comments received and others talked about his "stalker" activities over the years, which included the hiring of a private eye to conduct surveillance on Bateman. One person talked in more detail terms about what kind of "sicko" would hire someone to tail the father of two young girls. You can see the stalker's voyeur cam you know where. Lots of people laughed at his apparent lack of camera skills with the zoom clicks and out of focus shots.
Reason 487 Why Kim Richter Is Not ToL Mayor Material
The Mufford/64th Overpass vote on Monday shows us another clear reason why Councillor Kim Richter is not mayor material and would only hold back the Township of Langley.
Cllr. Richter lives in central Langley and is completely out of touch with our urban Langley. There is a balance in our community, but the fact is that the majority of our population lives within the urban 20% of our Township. Richter is completely out of touch with urban Langley and makes decisions as though she despises or resents urban Langley for even being part of the ToL.
Not long ago, Councillor Richter suggested that due to the number of accidents on 200th Street, speed limits should be reduced. One has to wonder with comments like that, just how many times per year Cllr. Richter even travels along 200th Street. Maybe 2-3 times per year? Had Richter travelled on 200th Street she would know very well that with the sheer amount of traffic on 200th, probability alone would say there would be more accidents! Reducing speed limits is also a very foolish suggestion, as traffic often moves at or below the speed limit much of the day due to volume, unless you are talking about 2am.
Councillor Kim Richter - Just not Township mayoral material. More reasons to come!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Sore Losers Lie About Overpass
Councillor Kim Richter's blog has pulled out all the stops and outright lies about the new overpass and any cost overruns. Richter's blog says:"Translink VP Sheri Plewes answers Clr. Kim Richter confirming that all land purchase overpass cost overruns will be the major responsibility of Langley Township!"
Well, reporter Matthew Claxton and others present, must have been at a different meeting than Councillor Richter and her cohorts, as Claxton says in today's Langley Advance:
"Richter asked about cost overruns and who will pay for them, if there are any. Plewes said initially that cost overruns would be taken on by the Township, but later said some could be shared with the province, as well."
Once again the Green/Richter slate blog tells you what they want you to hear and ignores the facts. We should also note that Councillor Richter must be confused, as over the past few months she has been saying that large construction projects should wait, as with this economy they will only get cheaper. Why then would there be any cost overruns?
Our Construction Expert Editor says that currently vendors are quoting 10%-15% lower than our pre-economic meltdown rates. Our expert also points out that as the Township will control the tendering process, the ToL could reduce scope of work or adjust specifications to achieve cost containment. Would you like to build this much-needed overpass during a time such as this, or 20 years from now when the costs will be so much more? The Green/Richter slate just don't get it.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Monday's ToL Council Meetings
Meetings of Interest This Week:
Monday, March 9, 2009
Special Council Meeting
Fraser River Presentation Theatre - 3:00pm - 5:30pm
Public Hearing
Fraser River Presentation Theatre - 7:00pm - ?
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Special Council Budget Meeting
Fraser River Presentation Theatre - 3:15pm - 5:15pm
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Special Council Budget Meeting
Fraser River Presentation Theatre - 3:15pm - 5:15pm
Monday, March 9, 2009
Township of Langley Council - Reports & Documentation
Special Council Meeting - 3:00pm - 5:30pm
Council votes at 3:00pm to go into a Special Closed meeting. Following the Special Closed, council returns to deal with the rest of the agenda. Sometimes this is at 3:30pm and sometimes not until 4:00pm. It depends on how much in-camera time is required. The meeting must end by 5:30pm. Click words below to access official ToL documents.
Minutes of Last Special Meeting
Special Meeting of ToL Council - Public Hearing - 7:00pm until ?
During this public hearing, council will listen to proponents of various developments and members of the public that have submissions on these proposals. No decisions are made at this Public Hearing and council does not ask questions, they simply listen to public input.Click words below to access official ToL documents.
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