I am compelled to respond to Mayor Lippert’s recent comments in The Morning Star.
Our mayor reportedly feels that the biggest challenge for council will be, “managing the budget and how we provide services.” He believes, as do others on council and in senior city management, that the only way to address municipal services is to raise taxes or borrow from future generations.
The prospect of reducing city costs and/or improving efficiencies or effectiveness is not even considered.
Vernon taxpayers are well aware that staffing levels are bloated and excessive and even the city’s annual report lists and itemizes the massive increases in cost that the city has incurred over the past five years.
Why then is cost control or cost reduction not included in the budget deliberations currently before council?
I am puzzled by the simplified belief that taxation and services provided are zero-sum games that handcuffs council and leaves little in the way of options.
The silly game currently unfolding in council chambers is expected to end with some type of decree that taxation rates just can’t be contained or reduced.
There is a complete disinterest or an unwillingness to even attempt to control the costs upon which services are based.
The City of Vernon has excessive costs and is over staffed — as even some councillors have suggested. Like all municipal corporations, the city employs some excellent, hard-working employees.
At the same time, it likely has its share of underworked or under-motivated individuals along with the empire-building managers who are little bothered by rising tax rates. The job of senior management is to ensure that an effective and efficient workforce is maintained and operates with a sense of urgency.
Our city administration does not appear to be doing this. Someone needs to lead, to take control, to pay attention to costs, to listen to the community and make sure that everyone is aware of who their “customers” are — we the taxpayers!
There should be no confusion over whether Vernon taxpayers exist to serve and service the city public sector or whether the city public sector is there to serve the community. Let me assure you, being overstaffed and incurring excessive costs is of no benefit to taxpayers.
It is time for the mayor, council and senior city managers to start listening — the taxpayers have had enough and aren’t going to take it anymore!
Lew. V. Rossner
