Plan A – those pesky, not so little, inconvenient hidden costs.

With all the major costs and money problems that are coming to light with Plan A there is something I am also concerned about that has the potential to cause annoyances and problems for Abbotsford’s citizens.

Abbotsford City Hall has pulled millions of dollars seemingly out of nowhere for major costs, land and now a parkade, for Plan A. I will not dispute their claims these are not really expenses, although I will refer them to Moe Gill who has realized the money spent by Abbotsford City Hall is an expense to the taxpayers, because the label is not the point that is important.

In spite of Abbotsford City Hall’s hocus-pocus these millions were not pulled from nowhere like a rabbit from a hat. Unless they are suddenly going to claim they have Rumpelstiltskin in the bowels of City Hall spinning straw into gold. Which come to think of it would not be to far removed from all the other fairy tales they have been telling to citizens about Plan A and other pressing matters.

We have millions of dollars from somewhere. We have the tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of dollars the city expended on pretty pictures, “fact finding” taxpayer funded trips, a blizzard of advertising materials, a costly party on the exhibition grounds, telephone blitz etc.

All this money was not pulled from thin air but from City coffers. I do not seem to recall any budget items such as these? So it must come from other areas in spite of Abbotsford City Hall’s claim it was just laying around. My concern is that they are guilty of “robbing Peter to pay Paul” and that it is taxpayers who will be stuck with the price of repayment.

So what is it that will be cut in order to make up the shortfalls caused by Abbotsford City Hall’s profligate spending on Plan A? Pothole repair? Sport field maintenance? Facility maintenance? Services? Ok I admit that you could not tell if services were cut due to the City Hall being unfamiliar with the concept. Still you get the idea.

Abbotsford City Hall has made it clear that it is up to the citizens to look out for their own best interests and protect themselves from Abbotsford City Hall. One facet of the Monitor is to monitor those who should, but have failed to, be looking out for the City’s and citizen’s best interest and future. We have a problem and clearly we must all pitch in to deal with it. So keep your eyes open and let us at the Abbotsford Monitor hear about what other hidden costs we are paying for Plan A. Oh, be sure to let council and senior city managers hear about it as well – loudly and often. Remember: caveat emptor – let the taxpayer beware.

Will wonders never cease? Or – one councillor down, eight to go plus the senior staff. After a moment of revelation Moe Gill has come to realize that money that comes out of the pockets of taxpayers and is spent on Plan A is part of the cost of Plan A. This realization of basic financial reality has already added an additional $12 million to the cost taxpayers will incur on Plan A.

Now if it were only possible for the other members of the Abbotsford City Hall glee(fully spend taxpayers money) club to comprehend that money taken from taxpayers and spent is a cost. This includes the hundreds of thousands (a million+?) spent on consultants, business trips, advertising, parties, staff wages and bonuses for Plan A.

Although it occurs to me, after watching $12 million appear out of nowhere for items related to Plan A that Abbotsford City Hall want to hide as not a Plan A cost; the least costly out-of-pocket solution for taxpayers on Plan A maybe to declare Plan A will cost nada/nothing/nil. That way we just have to wait for the $85 million to magically appear, or be found lying around, as was the $12 million for other non-costs such as land and a parkade.

Personally I would really like to know where all these millions come from and how much more is sitting hidden in limbo awaiting council’s convenience. Property owners may be curious as to why it was property taxes took such a jump when there was at least $12 million, plus who knows how many millions more, just lying around for incidentals like land or parkades. Maybe it is time citizens demanded the city Auditors make a thorough public report to and answer questions from those they have a duty of care to – the taxpayers of Abbotsford.

Free Speech, citizen’s right to access information in city records and the right to hear or express dissenting views seem to have been added to the long list of things, such as fun, forbidden in Abbotsford.

Apparently City Hall and Council are continuing their assault on these rights. It looks as though the Post’s behaving like a newspaper rather than a cheering section for the City has upset city hall and city politicos. Once upon a time not long ago those unfortunate souls who did not receive the Post delivered to their homes could drop by some of Abbotsford’s city facilities and pickup their copy of the Post. Nevermore.

The Post it seems has become publication non grata on city property. Their crimes: not unquestioningly accepting decrees for city hall or council as from on high; daring to ask questions about city claims; to present both sides of questions and the argument; to – GASP! – disagree in print with city positions. These crimes may also serve to explain the appearance and long stay of a stop work order on the new home of the Post.

It was objectionable enough when the city trampled on the free speech rights of those who disagreed with them during their plan A high pressure sales campaign. It was and is worse that the city continues to deny citizens access to information contained within city records. But city behaviour towards the Post is behaviour well beyond acceptable.

It is time city staff and council respect citizen’s rights: of speech and access to all information concerning the way the city conducts business. They need either to begin respecting the citizens of Abbotsford and their rights or resign.

Tsk, Tsk, Tsk. Regina, why would you be surprised by Abbotsford City Hall happily squandering a few thousand dollars on a pointless trip to enjoy the ECHL all-star festivities? Having demonstrated their willingness and ability to cost taxpayers millions, a few thousand more is just chump change – with taxpayers as the chumps paying the bills.

Your time might better be spent putting together a primer on how to use that new-fangled, ultramodern communications device the telephone. It seems that nobody at Abbotsford City Hall knows how to use a telephone. Otherwise they could have called the ECHL offices and gotten all the information about local ownership and the one month timeframe at the cost of a few dollars on the long distance phone bill.

Admittedly, while an efficient method of finding out the needed information, a phone call isn’t nearly as much fun as a boondoggle … I mean fact-finding trip on the taxpayer’s tab. Which brings up the question of exactly how many trips were made and at what cost for other fact-finding taxpayer funded vacations on or for Plan A?

No doubt the ECHL management was suitably impressed by representatives of Abbotsford City Hall arriving unprepared, having failed to have done their homework on the ECHL management, ownership and franchise requirements/structure. They were undoubtedly as impressed with Abbotsford City Hall as I and a growing number of other taxpayers are.