Good Morning Langley! - So Just How Stupid is Stupid? Council Sells OUR 3/4 acre land for $12,500!

In another classic Mayor Alberts and slate move last Monday (Nov.26/07), they approved the sale of ¾ of an acre of land close to the Salmon River for $12,500 to one of the neighbours next to this land. They did this after hearing a delegation from another neighbour to the land who offered to pay Council $25,000 (double the money!) right there and then for the same land. He even offered to bring out his check book at the council meeting as a sign of his good faith!

When questioned by one of the councilors (yes-you guessed it by Councillor Richter - who else?), this second neighbour said that he had not even been offered the chance to buy the same land. But he would. Right then and right there. Councillors Kositsky, Richter and Long (the veteran team, aka the smart group) opposed the sale because they thought that in light of this new information it should be sent back to staff for more research. However, Mayor Alberts staunchly opposed this idea and the rest of the Jeniuses on Council followed his lead.

So ¾ of an acre in the Salmon River Uplands is sold for $12,500. What’s the average property assessment value around there – something like $750,000 per acre? What a deal! Meanwhile, the Township is busy buying property in Willoughby for parks at probably a lot more than $12,500 per acre (like try $1 million per acre).

Why is there such a disconnect with this council? Get ready for another tax increase – I’m not sure they even know how to add.

P.S. You wanna laugh or rather cry even more? This Editor has heard that the proposed 2008 Township tax increase is starting off this time at 7.5%. Any bets that the raffle meister, Cllr. Jordan Bateman scores a hat trick with his 3rd consecutive year's motion to increase our tax bill by another 4.95% ? Lets see ( I'm betting he won't move it this year. He's clued in so he'll probably get Cllr. Fox to do it!). That would be 15% compounded over 3 years! Even more historic than before! But of course to these financial Jeniuses this makes perfectly good sense, especially when you sell off ¾ of an acre anywhere in Langley for $12,500 and still fight off even higher bidders!...