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LETTER: Langley City staff shouldn’t be dabbling in investing with public money

Resident disagrees with City’s financial direction
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An artist’s rendering of what the Surrey-Langley SkyTrain station would look like at 166th Street in Surrey. (TransLink)

Dear Editor,

With the COVID lockdown and virtual council meetings being conducted this is not the time to borrow what will be public funds to speculatively buy real estate.

Last year thankfully we didn’t borrow the first instalment of the $50 million debt Mr. Cheung and his financial manger wants to saddle to the City taxpayer.

We hired the council to direct and run the city. We did not hire them to be financial planners nor speculators. I don’t believe they have the economic credentials to be involved in this kind of business venture.

• READ MORE: Fleming says bringing SkyTrain to Langley from Surrey a ‘key priority’

I was informed if enough voters object to the $7.5 million borrowing plan, it will be dropped. No provisions have been provided to formally provide council with said objection. How many signatures are required? How do we get voters to sign off on what??

Then there is the social distancing thing. To try to approach people and explain what you are trying to inform them about would be a challenge to say the least.

I formally request City council to forgo the borrowing of any funds to purchase land for the alleged arrival of SkyTrain. That’s a TransLink issue. Remember we pay the TransLink bill in Langley as part of the Metro Vancouver deal.

• READ MORE: Langley City council gives finall approval to financial plan

Work within the budget of funds we the taxpayers provide. Don’t in debt us. Please.

We are debt-free. Let’s stay the course.

City taxpayer since (1984)

M.F. Campbell, Langley City

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