An open letter to our elected city councillors.
I am sure my daughter would appreciate some help. Several months ago, my daughter bought a building lot. Services were on the streets, but she would need to pay the city to have the water and sewer connections supplied; she got a quote. Then, we find that the City is encroaching, your street is built in the wrong place, she owns the ditch, the Stop sign, right to the edge of the paved street. The City charges for the distance of the services, so she should pay less, they also charged to repair a city ditch that the city does not own. She was told to pay first to get the project moving and they would reimburse.
The city staff passed her around in circles, over this encroachment. She is building and understood not to build in the allowed fifteen feet from her property line, but an extra couple metres away. The city would purchase a strip, after she got a plot plan saving the city a survey. My daughter paid about $18,000 for services and permits. Now she is told the city would need three metres off her property. They would make an offer, she could accept or they would expropriate. That makes me think the city should correct their own mistake and move the street over, and keep their $128.
I always was under the impression the city pay fair value for real estate; so properties are worth nothing if not on George Street. You also should know, the public trying to work with City staff, the run around they get! I told my daughter this is training, you cannot buy this kind of education any place. Now that our City trained you, you should run for City Council yourself, and not let that training go to waste.
Harry Ulch
Prince George
