Editor:
I read a recent letter suggesting that the city cut back on services, and I wanted to express my agreement for this idea. There are ways to cut expenditures and meet long-term goals — we just require a little bit of creative thinking.
In order to meet our climate goals, the city should stop all road work. Impassable roads will discourage drivers, thus reducing traffic and pollution. We would require less road maintenance, see an opportunity to reallocate streets to more community-based uses, and ultimately have safer streets. After all, we're all concerned about the safety of seniors and children, aren't we?
I concur that pet projects need to be set aside, as do redundant projects. This is the work of council to consider the real cost implications of creating work for the sake of work with motions like asking an understaffed planning department to come up with pre-approved housing programs like it's 1959.
Lastly, we can reduce staff costs by limiting the amount of motions council can bring forward in any meeting. Senior staff are required to work those hours, and the longer the meeting goes, the more money is spent by council.
It's simplistic to talk about freezing wages (I suspect the writer would never agree to missing a raise or taking a pay cut themselves), but if we look at real wasted time, we can find real savings.
Mike LeBlanc, New Westminster
