What would anyone expect this winter other than another snow job by the City of Vernon.
The study results indicating low vacant business frontage using the number of stores rather than actual square feet is insulting to everyone that sees the downtown as slowly becoming a commercial wasteland.
Look at 31st Avenue between the Safeway and parkade. There is better than a city block vacant encompassing the old hair salon school and book store east past the credit union.
And 30th Avenue, for those that are not as myopic as our council members, has a large vacant retail space that takes up another half a block. A look at second floor and above vacancy is also appalling.
The city certainly doesn't need to go to the expense of creating a data base of available lease space as a sales aid as the MLS listings and commercial agents already have this adequately covered.
What do they think these agents are doing every day, sitting on their backsides?
And to add to the year-end insults, we are treated to the special dispensations budget giving our tax dollars to the pipe band for new kilts in a manner that Catherine Lord implies is a hard hand on the fiscal budget.
Just where in the name of common sense does the city get away with using tax dollars for other than essential services?
This is the state of local government in Vernon in a time of financial crisis.
Between rising property rates and subsidized, mismanaged water, when can property taxpayers expect some form of relief from a council that can actually manage our money prudently?
Special dispensations and a snow job study make the council look like it is delivering nothing short of self-serving initiatives.
Shame on you.
Linda McGrew
Vernon