Editor: The article, 鈥淏ateman accuses Green of being a 鈥榩assenger.鈥欌�� (The Times, April 20) raises concerns that Mayor Rick Green has abdicated his responsibility to be actively engaged in the budgeting process that is so important to the taxpayers of the Township of 91原创.

The Township of 91原创, incorporated as a municipality in 1873,  is one of the oldest in B.C. A primary reason for incorporating is to provide a responsible local government.  The council, which the mayor is part of, is entrusted by the taxpayers to provide a budget and set the tax rate.

The mayor chose to sit this budget out by not contributing any constructive ideas to help reduce taxes. Calling the budget a 鈥渟taff budget鈥� is a clever way of blaming our hardworking civic employees, whose task is to provide the budget to council for revisions.

The budget is a council budget and as such, it is council who provides direction to staff. Simply saying that he 鈥渄isagrees with the process鈥� is not good enough. We expect the mayor to provide leadership and contribute to creating a responsible budget.

Whether the mayor likes it or not, he entered office in the midst of the five-year Township of 91原创 financial plan, initiated in 2007.  Among other items, the plan allowed for increased public safety by adding police officers and transitioning to full- time firefighters.  These costs are due now.

By voting against the budget, the mayor has ignored our need for increased safety.  This is no different than any household planning to purchase a car or go on vacation, without a solution to pay for it.

I encourage the men and women who live and work in the Township of 91原创 to observe what the mayor is doing to our future. He appears to be more interested in gaining votes in November than doing what is right for the Township.

Jack Froese,

91原创

Editor鈥檚 note 鈥� Mr. Froese has announced that he will seek election as mayor of the Township in November.