Dear Editor:
I read with dismay the problems that the Kettle Valley Railway has been facing these past few months.
To have our council increase their taxes from $1,130 in 2014 and 2015 to $4,200 in 2016, we might as well tell them Summerland does not appreciate the more than 30,000 visitors they bring to town.
And yes, I have one example of how we could have solved the problem.
Last year we paid $3,800 to paint two crosswalks.
This spring we had them redone — and I do not have the dollars that we paid for the second painting. This was a great idea, but not a necessity.
If we had not painted the crosswalks twice, that money could have gone into the tax accounts, and there would have been enough to keep both the KVR and the Youth Centre Association’s taxes down.
I realize there are different budgets for different services, but let’s start using some common sense and pull back on the discretionary spending in order to save what we already have as a positive reason to come to Summerland.
Pat Lindsay
Summerland
