A7 - Wednesday, March 21, 1984 - North Shore News

Hl mailbox |<]

Mayor replies to News on ‘pay-as-you-use’

Dear Editor

Reference your editorial of
March I], entitled ‘‘Pay As
You Use?”’

West Vancouver Munici-
pality in 1984 decided that
the utilities of water, garbage
and sanitary sewer costs
should be paid, as in the ma-
’ jority of other places, up

front at the beginning of the _

year.

Previously, the garbage
costs and the sanitary sewer
costs and a large portion of
the water costs had been in-
cluded in the general levy
paid to the Municipality in
the middle of the year.

Unlike the City of Van-
couver, which charges its
taxes in two half-yearly
amounts at the beginning and

middle of the year, ordinary -

municipalities, without a
charter, can only levy their
taxes at the middle of the
year. However, we are per-
mitted to charge our utilities
at the beginning of the year

and in so doing we save the
Municipality $40,000 by not
having to borrow these costs
of operation, etc. from the
bank.

The use of utility fees helps
to ensure that the costs for
these utility services are
shared more fairly and
equitably by our taxpayers.

By using general assessments,
as West V id i

past, costs for utilities were
based on property values
rather than on a usage factor.
The golf clubs, both
private and public, do pay
for their water consumption
from the Municipality’s
water supply separately and
in total. The Capilano Golf
and Country Club have their
own water supply for the use
of sprinkling their greens.
On your second point, in
respect to the non-deferment
of utility costs by those who
are permitted to defer their
taxes and have them paid in
their lifetime by the Provin-
cial government, the policy is

that the general levy of taxes
on land and improvements
indeed should properly be
deferred under the provincial
system. However, the cost of
the utilities used today and
tomorrow in the lifetime of
the deferee, it ts believed,
should not be left to be a
charge on their estate for
their heirs and successors.

_.. The results of the forego-

ing will be that the costs of
these utilities will not be in-
cluded in the general levy
brought out after the budget
is decided. If this had not
been done, these costs would
have been inchuded in the
general budget. It will be
understood however that this
year there is a further reduc-
tion in the Provincial grants
from resources to
municipalities by some
$165,000 and in addition, ad-
ditional imposts are being put
upon municipalities such as
the cost of the Young Of-
fenders Act (calculated at
some $150,000) and the re-

Pub prospect ‘uplifts’ him

Dear Editor:

Recently I received a letter
from a thoughtful neighbor,
informing me of the possibili-
ty of the opening of a
neighborhood pub.

It is refreshing to find out

Upgrade
zoo, not
expand

Dear Editor:

With regard to Mr. Baker’s
letter March 7 (Zoo Needs
Facelift).

I agree that the Stanley
Park Zoo needs to be upgrad-
ed. The City of Vancouver
gave the Parks Board a
million dollar mandate to
renovate the present facilities
only — NOT EXPAND.

The Stanley Park Zoo Plan
does incorporate expansion
alt a cost of five million,
which was agreed upon by
the Parks Board and not a
referendum by the people.

This proposed plan does
not specify how spacious the
new quarters will be. It is also
proposed to bring in more
animals such ag the walrus,
grizzly bear nds timber
wolves.

The aquarium, which ts a
separate issuc, proposes to
infringe on more parkland
through cxpansion to the
tune of ten million dollars,
which means the capture and
captivity of many more
whales. The track record
with whales to date has not
been very impressive.

Zoos are an outmoded
1M%h century concept and
should be phased out.

(Mrs) Elsie Kozak
North Vancouver

CLOCKS

Service & Repair
Grandfathers
Antiques
HOUSECALLS
REASONABLE
PRICES

271-9088

After 5:00 P.M.

that there is still someone out
there who is community, and
above all, people oriented.
Being a young person, I
obviously like to get drunk
and rowdy, however, I don’t
like the noise that is created

in places like Whispers,
therefore I have to get in-
ebriated at home and then
terrorize the area that I live
in, which is not as much fun.
Michael Nagel

Vancouver

Buses cannibalized

Dear Editor:

May ! congratulate the
three North Shore mayors for
their stand against the transit
fare increases. The whole bus
system seems to be filled with
unanswered questions which
I would like answered:

1. In 1980 the decision was
made to purchase 238 Flyer
buses at a total cost of $52
million. We have now been
told that they are too heavy
for local bridges and that the
electrical problems could go
on indefinitely. Why weren’t
these buses tested before they
were purchased?

2. Apparently Flyer In.
dustries are owned by the
NDP government in Win-
nipeg. Who made the deci-
sion to purchase these buses

and was it a case of political
back-patting?

3. | understand the City of
Chicago is now suing Flyer
industries for the buses they
purchased. 1 would like to
know if they were the same
model we have been stuck
with?

4. | understand five of the
brand new Flyer buses are sit-
ting at a lot on Lougheed and
are being stripped of their
parts in order to repair the
rest of the fleet. Can the tax-
payers of this province, now
being’ told we are under
restraint, afford to let five
buses at an approximate cost
of $200,000 each be can-
nibalized in this manner?

Sue Cook
North Vancouver

Honesty has always
been our policy...

Regarding an article which appeared in the Wednesday edi
tton of the North Shore News (March 14) ©

Locksalesman Not

Telling the Truth’ We woutd like to inform the pubtic that we
are not Involved in any way with that ilhcit practice

COAST MOUNTAIN DOOR SECURITY

Bonded and Licenced.

980-1103

PHILLIP J. DADSON 8. Comm.
Barrister and Solicitor
(lormerly of 208-125 East 13th St)

wishes to announce the re-

establishment of his general
practice of law
at 3070 Edgemont Bivd.

North Vancouver V7R 2N4
988-4546

cent, sudden instructions
from the provincial govern-
ment that municipalities,
through their police forces or

other agencies, will be
responsible for the cost
(estimated at $50,000) for

delivering criminal document
service. This is purely a pro-
vincial operation and strong
protests are being made on all
municipal levels. to_the_ pro-
vincial government that the
service of documents is not a
municipal responsibility, but
at the moment, this impost is
being put upon us.

It therefore will not be an
exact, obvious reduction in
the general levy taxes of the
sums charged for utilities but
municipal taxpayers are
assured that in no way will
they be charged double for
any of their utility services
that they utilize. throughout
the entire year.

Derrick Humphreys, Mayor
West Vancouver

a MESS
XA. a
seater ~

Ron Zalko Fitness Affair
730 Marine Dr. N. Van 986-3487

2625 W 4th Ave. at t Trafalgar Van 736-0346

RON ZALKO CO-ED WORKOUT SCHEDULE

draperies
by S. Laursen

Custom Draperies, Bedspreads”.
1’ Venetian, Vertical and Wooden Blinds

‘‘In-home Service’’

FREE ESTIMATES GLADLY GIVEN

All biinds 20% off list

Labour per panel $5.50

(unlined). $6.50 (lined).

FOR THE FINAL TOUCH

8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday thru Saturday

call 987-2966

OMA tre. thio HUME

lle
kpog

N HG SUUeW 962 JEON EADY O87 UO jo Aseynod seem

149-786 “A

=. ARRAS an
“ie WP we. Ss LER S

RON ZALKO CO. ED
BEGINNERS SCHEDULE

8 Ey a ne lhe

_—