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#3,4, and 6 sound like they could be put into the much-needed procurement policy update. Craft it into a notice of motion, and I'll gladly second it.
I think #1 is probably the most important of all!
Tell me folks, what do we do in our own instances when we turn our pockets inside out and they are empty?What we have to do is reassess our financial situation and make concessions in some other way. We could borrow more, but that's a fools game, or we could make do until such time that we either prioritize something else or have more funds. (or we could just increase Joe taxpayer, that's a piece of cake)
In the case of the grandstand roof I can't see anything wrong with letting it wait until either the funds are available or some other funds are alloted from another area that isn't high priority.
How about the dcc funds from Willoughby that they're using for Redwoods, but then that would spoil Prince Alberts little pet project.
This high falootin' spending has just got to stop before we're taxed out of our homes in Langley. I'm mad as hell.
This is just one incidence that we are made aware of, I wonder how much of this crap is going on all the time and we are completely nieve to all the mismanagement of OUR money. I want accountability and I want it now.
Pardon my ignorance but as a professional who regularly deals with contractors I cannot believe that you even need to suggest points 2 and 3.
Of course a budget should be respected a budget represents the MAXIMUM one should be expected to pay for a project not a minimum. When I need to conduct work I create a cost estimate I figure out realistic best and worst case scenarios and their actual costs. I then figure what is a realistic number and then include some room for contingencies...this gives me a budget that I can propose to my client. Once the client and I settle on a budget that is it the number is fixed in stone. If I exceed the budget I had better have a good explanation why because frankly, my clients wouldn’t keep hiring me if I didn’t control costs. If the overun is my fault then by golly (no blue language here) I'm going to be expected to pay for it not my client.
As for point 3...what sane contracting agent puts out “cost plus”, “time and materials”, or “design-build” contracts in situations other than emergencies? This is a relatively simple project...we aren’t talking a "marvel-of-the-modern-world" here this is a grandstand similar ones exist is every decent sized city in Canada and the US! It has been years in the planning. There is no excuse not having planned the costs and demanded that contractors go through a fair, sealed-bid process with the outcome being a firm fixed-price contract. Included in the contract should be clauses to provide for a fair reimbursement for cost overuns caused by changes (only changes authorized by the client) but I cannot fathom letting any contractor go out and build without some protection against massive cost overruns. This is something the private sector has known for years and I cannot believe the public sector still lets itself be manhandled like our council has been in this case.
Good comments Blair. In the back of my mind I'm wondering if Kurt's persistence in seeing this grandstand go through regardless of the tax payer burden is because he wants another shrine to himself. In his pin sized brain he thinks that Redwoods is his contribution to the planet's survival. The Township Hall building was Dennis Townsend's find, but Kurt embelished it beyond our needs and now takes credit for it. Do we have an ego trip beforte our eyes?
prince albert and his tax and spend galleryslate managed to turn the townshiphall into another sinkhole
Good point goforit. Open accountability should be as normal as breathing. What's the problem? Are we too dumb to understand Kurt?
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