Amalgamation the way to go
Phil Kent fails to realize that the main objective of amalgamation is to the amount of taxpayer dollars that can be saved to the benefit of the taxpayer and not whether Phil Kent has a job or not.
If the amalgamation is approved, Phil Kent is still not out of a job. A new civic election must be held to elect a new city council and he and the mayor of North Cowichan would both have to put their names forward in the new election to see who the taxpayers want as their mayor, that is if a amalgamation win does not affect the upcoming civic election this year. The provincial government could make the change to take effect in the October civic elections to avoid extra costs of another local civic election.
From various statistical information, the way to go is to vote yes for amalgamation. Why? North Cowichan has a larger population and a larger revenue base. From 2013 to 2017, the population of the City of Duncan increased by 250, whereas from 2013 to 2017, the population of the Municipality of North Cowichan increased by 1,144. Active business licences in the City of Duncan, was 646 in 2013 and 710 in 2017, only an increase of 64.
Development permits in the City of Duncan was 45 in 2013 to only 10 in 2017. New construction value for the City of Duncan, was $5,593,251 in 2013 and $3,966,455 in 2017.
The highest property taxpayer in the City of Duncan in 2017 was the Coronation Mall, at $178,532. All other property taxes were all under $100,000.
Total revenue for the City of Duncan was $8,833,828 with expenses of $6,864,196 in 2013 with a surplus of $1,969,632. Total revenue for the City of Duncan was $9,929,766 with expenses of $8,423,378 in 2017 with a surplus of $1,506,388. Expenses keep climbing. Example, CUPE employees do not need a wage increase every year as the hourly rates are sufficient already. Wage rates could be frozen for two years before giving out new pay raises. There is a limit of pay to every job classification. CUPE workers received pay increases of one per cent Jan. 1, 2014, one per cent July 1, 2014, one per cent Jan. 1, 2015, one per cent July 1, 2015, Jan. 1, 2016 based on the Victoria consumer price index of 2016, for a minimum 1.5 per cent to a 2.5 per cent maximum, a 1.87 per cent Jan. 1, 2017, and two per cent on Jan. 1, 2018.
Total expenses for the City of Duncan council for 2017 was $148,540.43 and total expenses for the management team at city hall was $807,816.79. Upon amalgamation, these two amounts can be completely eliminated to benefit the taxpayers.
Upon amalgamation, the city hall in Duncan can be closed, as with the money spent over the years for improvements at the North Cowichan city hall, that would be the hall to stay open in the new City of Duncan. The City of Duncan city hall could be leased out at very good rental incomes to benefit the taxpayers. The public works yard is also located on the same property, and the City of Duncan works yard could be closed and all equipment transferred over to the North Cowichan property. City of Duncan works yard could be sold. No need for any employee layoffs in the public works yard.
One fire hall would have to be closed, as it is very rare that both the Duncan fire hall and the North Cowichan hall have crews out fighting fires at the same time. The hall to remain open should be the present City of Duncan fire hall due to the recent amount of taxpayer funds spent on renovations to the fire hall. The North Cowichan fire hall could also be rented out at very good rental incomes.
Equipment from closing the present North Cowichan fire hall could be distributed to the Chemainus, Crofton, Maple Bay, and Duncan fire halls.
Amalgamation must work to the advantage of the taxpayer as if it were not for the taxpayers, there would be no city hall. With the provincial government offering $11 million in assistance if the amalgamation is successful and the elimination of the Duncan city council and the City of Duncan management team, taxpayers are looking at $11,956,357.22 to their benefit.
Eliminating duplication does happen with an amalgamation, the whole purpose for it. Some jobs are lost, but that is fact and reality of amalgamation. Duncan and North Cowichan are not the first to be amalgamated.
Tax reconciling differentials on utilities, industry, farmland, and property, bylaw harmonization, and a review of staffing decisions would have to commence after amalgamation. Presently both the City of Duncan and the Municipality of North Cowichan both have union contracts with CUPE 358, so that would remain the same after amalgamation.
Joe Sawchuk
Duncan