Editor:
I am very concerned that the District of Sechelt mayor and council waive development cost charges (DCCs) for certain projects without undertaking an internal transfer of funds from District reserves to cover loss of DCC revenue.
This concern applies particularly to the sanitary sewer service for piping and sewage treatment facilities for the specified sewage area of the Village, West Sechelt and West Porpoise Bay. These funds could be used for the extension of much-needed sewer trunk lines.
Why should taxpayers in the specified sewage area be deprived of having their DCC reserve increased because council will not transfer funds from the District reserve account into the sanitary sewer account to cover the amount waived? It should be District of Sechelt community as a whole that should have to cover the costs of the council decision.
Transferring from District reserves into DCCs is done in other municipalities. There are approximately 400 property owners in the specified sewage area who are still not connected to the big pipe, yet they are required to pay the annual fee of $115 for future service connection.
Arthur Whistler
Sechelt
