Why is Castlegar willing to spend money for contractors instead of using City employees?
This from City Councillor Bruno Tassone after Council agreed to award a $44,000 Millennium Park Ponds maintenance contract to Family Tree Gardening – the same company who did the work last year.
Tassone would like to see more employees hired by Public Works.
He didn’t the buy argument that if they hired new staff for these types of jobs the personnel would be laid off at season’s end – something the City has never done.
Fellow Councillor Deb McIntosh argues Council crunched the numbers when forming the budget and contracting the work out was the best option for taxpayers.
Tassone voted against the recommendation this week but McIntosh says the entire budget – including this contract – previously received unanimous support. The rest of council approved the contract.