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Profits from solid waste unlikely

Re: ‘ Parksville to make $62K profit for solid waste services’ (www.pqbnews.com, Feb. 11)
15585347_web1_PQN-Letters

Re: ‘Parksville to make $62K profit for solid waste services’ (www.pqbnews.com, Feb. 11)

No, the City of Parksville will not see a profit from their waste services.

The director of finance presented the five-year budget for solid waste as though the city has income. This income is citizen tax money… hard-earned by most and the city has done absolutely nothing to contribute to this, they are in fact setting the tax rate so that there is money to pay for the citizen’s services.

The councillors and mayor should be on high alert when such language is used (profit from waste), as in my experience words reflect thought. It is imperative that to truly represent the citizens it is necessary to always respect that money in the coffers is simply like a bank holding funds on behalf of the citizen.

The citizens then decide who they deem to have the best ability to use these funds on their behalf. If there is a surplus in the budget of $62,200, I would expect this will in all likelihood be paid to the RDN as they have decided to increase the cost to citizens to meet the changes to garbage pickup. As some citizens have noted this extra cost gives nothing to the public but simply increases the profits of the company that contracts to the RDN.

Pauline Liste

Parksville