Editor:
District of Sechelt council's firing of a second senior staff person should be added cause for concern. The first termination cost the District $185,000 in severance pay. The second is still in negotiation, but presumably will be comparable. Add to that the legal costs, and you're approaching $400,000.
Then we have the situation with the District taking over the Sechelt Golf Course, for which Mayor John Henderson said the legal fees alone will likely top $125,000 (Coast Reporter, June 22).
Earlier we had the mix-up over Target Marine and the unknown legal fees to sort out that mess, likely adding thousands more.
Coming up we face a huge legal bill around the ill-conceived paving of Mason, Heritage and Sandpiper roads for $625,000, only to find the District doesn't own all the land they contracted to pave. The paving contractor has signed a binding legal contract and has a right to be paid. Either the District will have to pay for not paving the roads or will have to negotiate from a position of weakness to acquire the privately owned portion of the road right of ways.
The potential cost to the District council's coffers for the above noted legal dustups could well exceed $1,000,000. The most recent 3.5 per cent tax increase will net the District approximately $500,000.
So, good citizens, it would seem our new council's management skills have created legal actions that have eaten twice the tax increase, and the year's only half over.
Jef Keighley
Halfmoon Bay
