Once again the CVRD is increasing our taxes using an underhanded process called AAP.
Using this process will insure that the three new tax increases go through. Since not all property owners get the local papers that CVRD put a couple of ads in, they have no idea what is going on. Directors could have opted for a referendum which they say is expensive. If a referendum costs $150,000 that works out to pocket change per household, compared to the yearly extra costs of these new taxes.
I find it disgusting that in 2012 we paid the CAO approximately $21,000 more than the premier of the province, and we had 25 staff making $100,000 to $200,000 a year. These are the last numbers they published.
Directors tell us we have to pay these kind of wages to retain qualified people.
CVRD had to cancel AAP bylaw 3930 for now, because they did not get Catalyst on the bylaw. One has to wonder, shouldn’t they have been first on the bylaw? Do these highly paid people really know what they are doing?
Many of the last elected directors ran on no more tax increases and reining in these salaries at the CVRD. That is clearly not happening. They need to do the right thing and resign if they voted in favor of the AAP. Or have they bellied up to the trough also?
More and more people on fixed income are having to defer taxes to make ends meet.
The CVRD has lost touch with reality. If you are tired of these people eroding your standard of living, oppose this process.
Randy Miles
Lake Cowichan
