Langley Advance Times is offering this weekly feature called it “At Your Service.”
It’s another forum in which to put questions to our local politicians about key issues facing our community and its residents.
Using a basic question-and-answer format, elected officials will be asked one question at a time and given the opportunity to respond (to a maximum of 250 words) on that said issue.
Alternating between elected groups, Langley City and Langley Township councils, Langley school board, Langley MLAs, and Langley MPs each have a chance to participate.
The answers provided will be published in their entirety online Sundays.
.
QUESTION
Langley Township council was asked: What should council do with its recent windfalls in form of a provincial grant of $24 million and the CAC contribution for Gloucester lands of $18 million?
.
ANSWERS
Mayor Eric Woodward
A. This council member failed to reply to this query, prior to deadline.
.
Councillor Tim Baillie
A. We should invest this money in the infrastructure that the Contract With Langley (CWL) promised during the election. Soccer campus, firehalls, police facilities, etc.
We are playing catch up in so many aspects that this will help.
.
Councillor Steve Ferguson
A. This council member failed to reply to this query, prior to deadline.
.
Councillor Margaret Kunst
A. There are a number of initiatives where The Growing Communities Fund monies could be allocated.
The Township of Langley is a community of communities as they say and I hope each community will benefit in some way from this provincial funding.
It will certainly help with the high costs to build much needed infrastructure like ice arenas and community centres, and I hope that smaller projects will also benefit.
With inflation and interest rates at historic highs, there are people who are really struggling to put food on the table and pay the bills. Organizations that feed and care for vulnerable populations should be on the list, to ensure they have the funds needed to continue doing their work.
We have been talking about an extreme cold and warming centre for a long time, now would be a great time to find a way to make it happen.
I look forward to hearing from our residents on how they would like to see their tax dollars, that have been returned to them, spent in our community.
.
Councillor Barb Martens
A. The provincial grant and CAC contribution for Gloucester lands are great news for Township of Langley residents.
After years of falling behind, these funds will be used towards much needed capital projects.
.
Councillor Michael Pratt
A. There are a lot of priorities that this council has for this term, and there are many promises to keep.
One of the first actions of the new council – and this is something I applaud the mayor and his CWL team for following through on, and I was happy to support – was the re-calibration of the Township’s Community Amenity Contribution (CAC) system.
Typically, the $18 million in new CACs would be broken down and distributed to the various CAC funds that exist: 13 per cent would go into the affordable housing reserve fund; 75 per cent would go to the community amenity fund, which contains various community amenities primarily in Willoughby; five per cent would go into the Aldergrove community amenity fund; and seven per cent would go into the climate action reserve fund.
However, in this unique case, all $18 million are going into the community amenity fund.
As for the $24 million from the province, there are countless projects or worthy causes we could direct these funds towards. However, it would be my preference to see the money be leveraged to deliver a community amenity that might not have otherwise received the ‘green-light’ based on the current economic climate.
Because there are parameters to what we can use this money for, we can’t simply use it on whatever we want.
That being said, we can use it to reduce the costs of a significant community-enhancing project, which I believe is a worthy cause as it delivers something our community badly needs at a more justifiable cost.
.
Councillor Kim Richter
A. As these are tough economic times for people, part of it should be used to reduce or eliminate the proposed 2023 Township of Langley 4.92-per-cent property tax hike.
The remainder should be put towards a performing arts centre, which is long overdue and needed in this fast-growing community of ours.
.
Councillor Rob Rindt
A. This council member failed to reply to this query, prior to deadline.
.
Councillor Misty vanPopta
A. This council member failed to reply to this query, prior to deadline.
.
UP NEXT
Next week’s Langley school district trustees are being asked: Is growth in choice programs, such as arts and French Immersion, keeping up with the rapid growth in the district’s student population, and if not, what should be done to expand those programs?
.
Watch for their answers online Sunday.
.
PAST COVERAGE
AT YOUR SERVICE: City council weighs in on supervised consumption sites
AT YOUR SERVICE: Langley trustees applaud positives found amid pandemic
AT YOUR SERVICE: Township council weighs in on lack of industrial land
AT YOUR SERVICE: MLAs see feds as partners in SkyTrain to Langley
AT YOUR SERVICE: Creating more housing, on all fronts, critical to stabilization: MPs
AT YOUR SERVICE: Heat wave another call to action – City council
AT YOUR SERVICE: Pools need to be part of Township-wide recreation planning
AT YOUR SERVICE: No current need for year-round schooling in Langley, trustees agree
AT YOUR SERVICE: MLAs suggest staying the course on battling of B.C. wildfire
AT YOUR SERVICE: MPs call for borders to be safely re-opened
AT YOUR SERVICE: Langley City council wants to keep higher density development north of Nicomekl
AT YOUR SERVICE: Passports key to keeping B.C. businesses open, people safe during pandemic
AT YOUR SERVICE: Trustees ponder what kids are missing out on during pandemic
AT YOUR SERVICE: Education should trump rules for vaccination of health-care workers, suggest MLAs
AT YOUR SERVICE: How to handle rising housing prices
AT YOUR SERVICE: City council divided on call for indoor pool
AT YOUR SERVICE: Council ponders vaccine requirements for workers
AT YOUR SERVICE: Skyrocketing enrolment prompts intensified lobby by trustees
AT YOUR SERVICE: Political stripes aside, MLAs agree heat dome was tragic and action required
AT YOUR SERVICE: MPs agree much must be done to right wrongs for Indigenous
AT YOUR SERVICE: Is pay parking in the City a viable consideration?
AT YOUR SERVICE: Some suggest more needed to protect floodplains from development
AT YOUR SERVICE: Monitoring student transport not good use of school district resources – trustees
AT YOUR SERVICE: Liberal caucus floats all-party committee in reaction to emergencies
AT YOUR SERVICE: Langley MPs address issue of rising food costs
AT YOUR SERVICE: Inflation inevitably hits City taxpayers in the pocketbook
AT YOUR SERVICE: Future of Aldergrove core up for debate
AT YOUR SERVICE: Trees and more greenspace at root of climate change solutions
AT YOUR SERVICE: Inflation inevitably hits City taxpayers in the pocketbook
AT YOUR SERVICE: Councillors differ on future of SkyTrain beyond Langley City
AT YOUR SERVICE: Bigger schools not necessarily solution to rising land costs
AT YOUR SERVICE: High gas prices of concern for MLAs of both stripes
AT YOUR SERVICE: Empty homes can be safety concern, but not huge concern in City
AT YOUR SERVICE: Most of council content with current pothole repairs
AT YOUR SERVICE: Survey gives school district tools for staff recruitment, retention
AT YOUR SERVICE: Liberal MLAs call for overhaul to B.C.’s student funding model
AT YOUR SERVICE: Canada must continue its support of Ukraine, MPs
AT YOUR SERVICE: Best use of industrial land paramount to Langley City councillors
AT YOUR SERVICE: More ALR land needs to be used for farming: Most of council
AT YOUR SERVICE: Local MLAs agree more must be done to make life affordable in B.C.
AT YOUR SERVICE: Federal parties working on multiple fronts to end hate crimes
AT YOUR SERVICE: Langley City ponders cannabis retail policy
AT YOUR SERVICE – Most on council say parks and rec plans address future growth
AT YOUR SERVICE: School district moves forward on reconciliation efforts with Indigenous partners
AT YOUR SERVICE: MLAs agree diking upgrades needed, divided on if enough is being done
AT YOUR SERVICE: Local MPs disagree on whether 2 billion trees can be planted by 2030
AT YOUR SERVICE: In light of SkyTrain coming, Langley City embarks on parking study
AT YOUR SERVICE: Langley Township should consider schools for future cooling centres
AT YOUR SERVICE: Opposition MLAs critical of NDP’s affordable housing record
AT YOUR SERVICE: Federal clean energy efforts lauded by MP
AT YOUR SERVICE: MPs debate how feds chose to halt trucker convoy
AT YOUR SERVICE: New Langley City council look for solutions to rising costs
AT YOUR SERVICE – A few Langley Township council members speak to ongoing single-family home demands
AT YOUR SERVICE: Political views aside, MLAs wish residents health and safety this holiday
AT YOUR SERVICE: MPs agree new year’s resolution must focus on inflation
AT YOUR SERVICE: New floodplain report coming to council this spring
AT YOUR SERVICE – Protected bike lanes on key Township roads is encouraged by council
AT YOUR SERVICE: Trustees divided on question of socializing kids
AT YOUR SERVICE: MLAs agree much to be done to safeguard against climate-related disasters
AT YOUR SERVICE: MPs agree new year’s resolution must focus on inflation
AT YOUR SERVICE: City’s residential garbage pickup remains status quo – at least for now
AT YOUR SERVICE – Protected bike lanes on key Township roads is encouraged by council
AT YOUR SERVICE: Pair of trustees agree parent engagement is critical and can grow
AT YOUR SERVICE: MLAs agree much to be done to safeguard against climate-related disasters
.
story tags