As the election campaign heats up, the public is weighing in on issues that are driving its voting choices.
At the mayoralty debate and on social media a hot topic is the final capital cost of the expansion to Spray Lake Sawmills Family Sports Centre. While the current cost of the expansion has been reported at $48 million – $3 million over budget – there is speculation the total figure will be much higher.
Some have expressed a desire to see those figures before the election to help further inform their ballot choices, especially if they are considering marking an x next to an incumbent’s name.
Unfortunately, the town has confirmed with the Cochrane Eagle those numbers will not be forthcoming before the election and likely not be made public until the end of October or early November.
According to the town, there are still invoices outstanding for the project and all payments will not be complete until the end of October. Once those outstanding items have been dealt with, administration will report to council – which at this point means the newly-elected council.
We questioned the delay considering the facility was open back in July and were told this is not unusual for a project of this size and the town is continuing to work through holdbacks, final invoices and deficiencies with a few contractors. In addition, there are still outstanding purchases such as furnishings, fixtures and equipment.
Whether those outstanding issues will drive up the total cost is not yet known but the town says there is potential for invoices to come in less than expected and “efficiency and cost-effectiveness was a high priority throughout this project.”
The incumbents should be pushing for at least the preliminary data to be released to the public. While that might be a gamble, especially if the numbers further fuel the factions upset about the cost overruns, it would at least demonstrate a level of public accountability and transparency.
As it stands, there are those in the public who are viewing the delay as a strategic ploy to avoid casting a negative light on those seeking re-election.
The optics are not good and at this point public opinion seems to indicate not releasing unfavourable numbers might be worse for voter popularity than waiting for the final numbers.
Though they might fluctuate, perhaps council should consider updating the numbers as they become available – a push that might be in the best interest of those councillors hoping for another term.
