IF you're seeking cre-
ative ways to spend
money, check in first
with your friendly
municipal government.

North Vancouver District’s
hail is a good place to start.

‘Taxpayers will recall, for
example, the hall’s nvulti-mil-
lion-dollar upgrade back in the
carly 90s.

If memory serves, initial
plans called for 2 $12 million
overhaul. But thaz figure went
over like a lead zeppelin with
the more economy-minded
district residents and council
members. Much wrestling,
with numbers ensued.

The original hall upgrade
was pruned back. A revamped
plan canie with a more appeal-
ing $8.2 million price tag.

& minor aside: this column
doesn’t begrudge municipal
hall workers the upgrade.
Better working conditions
make for more productive
workers.

The focus here is on execu-
tion of the plan as approved.
And when that execution is off
the mark tax dollars start
falling like autumn leaves from
the municipal money tree.

In the case of the North
Vancouver District hall, more
than a few extra dollars fell.

The $8.2 million upgrade
pian approved by council in
January 1992 did not stay at
$8.2 million for long.

One year into the project,
council was asked to approve
another million-odd doll lars for
the project. Council members
were assured that the addition-
al funds would cover all
unforeseen expenses.

Reluctant approval was

ough that the pre-
ject was already over budget,
but a year after approval of the
initial extra funding, staff were
back before council secking yer
another million-dollar top-up
for the overhaul.

Reasons for addition:
funds ranged from inte
out changes to moving costs
to furniture and additional
special equipment.

When it was finally com-
pleted in July 1994, the hall
upgrade had cost a little over
$11.6 million, which was pret-
ty close to the cost of the orig-
inal plan that council rejected.

Were that the end of the
tale, taxpayers might be able to
write it off as another lesson
learned in the art of bureau-
cratic budgetary sleight of
hand and move on.

But the story is not over. It
has dragged on ever since the
hall was completed.

The district and the main
contractor, Marbella Pacific
Construction West Led., have
been wrangling over assorted
issues relanng to the hall’s
refurbishment — money tak-
ing centre stage in the dispute.

Specifically, $1.8 million
Marbella thinks the district
owes it for extra work the con-
tractor claims resulted from

OF THE G

changes in the hall upgrade
plan and money the district
has held back because of work
done that the district has
maintained was subpar, includ-
ing the hall's atrium roof,
which has been subject to
leaks, and cracking and
unevenness ofthe! hall’s slate-
tiled floor.

Earlier this year, Marbella
launched a civil court action to
retrieve the money it claims
it’s owed.

But travelling that route
would be expensive for both
parties and by extension,
expensive for distri
— close to halfa million in
legal fees, $150,000 alone for
the district.

Depending on the out-
come of the court case, the
district faced the prospect of
owing Marbella up to $2 mil-
lion — which would push the
cast of that $8.2 million dis-
trict hall upgrade close to $14
rnillion,

The two parties are cur-
rendy seeking to solve the dis-
pute through mediation to
avoid court costs.

Whatever the outcome of
the mediation, however, count
on the cost of the district
municipal hall overhaul to
keep on rising.

Q0

Apart from renovation
work, district council has some
interesting ways to invest
money in travel.

For example, five council
members recently jetted off to
Halifax to attend the annual
Federation of Canadian
Municipalities convention.

Cost per councillor for the
June 4 to 7 event came to
appreximately $2,500, which

Complimentary Fitness Evaluation and Guest Visit

ips on spendin

went the

sent its entire seven-member
council to the convention. A
$17,500 expens

West Vancouver District,
on the other hand, sent no
one, it having pulled the plug
on federation membership in
1998 after concluding that the
bang for the municipal buck
from the federation was too
small.

The value of the junket for
both North Vancouvers has
yet to be determined. But I'd
wager it would be close to

igible — especially when
weighed against the of

ing a dozer council mem-
bers.

Why nor send a single
representative from each
municipality and let them
bring back the relevant infor-
mation to share with the rest
of their respective council
who could, in the meantime,
carry on attending to munici-
pal business?

Sunday, July 11, 1999 — North Shore News — 7

tax dollé

North Vancouver District
finance fans can add the
Halifax travel total to the cost
of the district’s 1998 excursion
to China.

Three council members
took part in the June 18 to 27
Far East adventure. Total cost:
$27,583.

Total return on investment
as far as FE can figure: $0.

District council came to its

2s fast week when it voted
against returning Mayor Don
Bell to China this September
to attend the Chinese port of
Dalian’s 100th anniversary.

in links berween the dis-
trict and China was also
rumoured to be on the
mayor’s itinerary.

But its expense could not
be justified, no matter how
hard district mayor and coun-
cil wished it. Too bad similar
reason had not been applied to
aforementioned excursions.

Add a few of the foregoing
numbers up the next time you
pay your municipal taxes, Keep
them in mind come election
time in November,

— trenshaw@adirect.ca

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