Penticton residents will have their chance to weigh in on next year’s budget including hiring more police officers and paying for the next phase of the Lake-to-Lake bike route.
City council will begin deliberations on 2022’s budget starting on Nov. 22, and there will be open houses ahead of time to gather public feedback.
The open houses will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 17 at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre and from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Nov. 18, with COVID-19 protocols in place for both in-person events.
In addition to feedback on the budget, staff will be looking to gather thoughts from residents on a variety of other topics:
* Plans to replace or restore city buildings including Memorial Arena and the library
* The North Gateway development plan and the area around the South Okanagan Events Centre in particular
* Draft designs of the new intersections between Skaha Lake Road and South Main Street along Galt Avenue
* Draft designs on the continuation of the Lake-to-Lake Bike Route from Fairview Road to South Main Street
At the Oct. 4 meeting, council agreed to make community safety a priority in the 2022 budget. The city will be deciding on whether to hire an additional three more officers, four additional bylaw officers and two community safety officers.
READ MORE: Council sets community safety as a priority in 2022 budget
There will also be alternative online information sessions for the 2022-2026 financial plan for the city for businesses and for the general community. The business session is scheduled to run on Nov. 9 from 7 p.m. to 8:30, and the community session on Nov. 15 from 7 p.m. until 8:30.
Registration for the online sessions is required and can be done through shapeyourcitypenticton.ca.
Starting Nov. 8, residents can also get a head start on reviewing next year’s budget by downloading both the 2022-2026 Financial Plan and the 2022 Corporate Business Plan documents off either the penticton.ca or shapeyourcitypenticton.ca. Residents can also pick up physical copies from information kiosks at city hall and the library.
Feedback can be submitted online through shapeyourcitypenticton.ca or by completing a physical feedback form available at the information kiosks.
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