The Prince George core services review unearthed a few home truths about the process for a national taxpayer organization.
"We learned that local firms are probably better equipped to do the core review. I think Prince George's scope was too big in the core review so only the most giant of firms could possibly ever bid on it," said Jordan Bateman, B.C. director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. "And then you get people disconnected with the community who don't really understand what's going on."
The Prince George review was carried out by an Ontario-based team of consultants working for national firm KPMG.
Bateman was in the city Wednesday, speaking to the region's senior municipal staff gathered for the North Central Local Government Management Association annual conference.
The federation, which advocates for lower taxes, less waste and accountable government, has long been a core review cheerleader.
As part of his address to the assembled managers at the Sandman Signature hotel Wednesday, Bateman said he spoke about government being streamlined, "which obviously fits in to what Prince George tried to do with the core review."
And while he said he thinks the city was on the right track with the review, Bateman said he was disappointed there were avenues city council didn't pursue, such as selling the Pine Valley golf course and outsourcing park maintenance and parking enforcement.
"Those seemed like natural things to me to do," he said. "But at the same time, I don't think council gets the credit they deserve."
Even if the potential financial impact doesn't quite hit the projected $57 million mark by 2016, it was still worth the investment.
"If I told you, 'give me $350,000 and I'm going to give you $57 million back,' we'd all do that deal every day," Bateman said.
The federation director frequently cites Prince George alongside Penticton, Whistler, Port Coquitlam and Langford as municipalities others should look to and steal ideas from.
Penticton is often held up as the model for core services review success by those who tout fiscal restraint.
The city started its review in late 2009 after years of bulging operating costs and ballooning long-term debt.
Bateman said a major difference between the situation in Penticton and Prince George was the residents' appetite for change.
"There's a lot more fixed income people in Penticton - they couldn't afford these continuing tax increases and they'd had a mountain of them," Bateman said. "And they had a council that stuck together. They had the special interests come in and the union pushed back but they held the line."
