Politicians were on the hot seat last Thursday at the Mayors' Mixer, a Tri-Cities Chamber of Commerce event at Samz Pub in PoCo.

But it wasn't just the questions from the crowd that were making them sweat.

A problem with the air conditioning in the building where the pub is located -- on what may go down as one of the hottest days of the year -- left the mayors fanning themselves on stage.

The sold-out audience still wanted to know, however, where the three stood on issues such as tax rates for businesses and whether business owners should be allowed to vote in elections when they don't live in the municipality.

The first question, for Coquitlam's Richard Stewart and Port Moody's Joe Trasolini, was whether business taxes are too high and, if so, what the mayors would do to reduce them.

Both said the taxes are too high.

Stewart said they've been too high for 20 or 30 years in B.C., especially in Metro Vancouver.

"We're actually doing a three-quarters-of-a per-cent every year tax shift," he said, referring to the city's policy of moving the mill rate down for businesses and up for residents.

Trasolini said the issue is "huge," adding that for 100 years, cities have funded services based on a specific formula, so it's difficult to "turn back the clock" now. He said he's asked the province to look into the issue.

"There's too much burden on cities," he said.

Stewart responded to a question about whether business owners who live outside Coquitlam should be able to vote in elections there by saying they should, and that city councils would be "more accountable" to business if non-resident owners could vote.

Another question -- whether the three cities should amalgamate -- is asked each time the mayors get together to meet with chamber members. Each time, the mayors agree it's a bad idea.

Thursday was no different.

"If you believe that [by] being amalgamated you will reduce your taxes, you are dreaming," Trasolini said, adding that there are examples "all across Canada" of amalgamated jurisdictions with higher taxes and reduced services.

"It's still not working in Ottawa," Moore said, adding that wages would not go down for city workers. He gave a hypothetical example of clerks at rec centres. If the three cities amalgamated and the clerks were earning different rates before amalgamation, they'd earn the same rate after, but it would be the higher rather than the lower wage, he said, meaning costs would go up.

Stewart said the three cities are already taking advantage of efficiencies by working together as a sub-region.

"There's a lot of sharing and amalgamation," Moore said. "It already works on the service [delivery]."

A question gauging how the mayors feel about standardized business licences for the region led to positive responses, including "I love it," and "I think it's great."

"We've been actively working on the how," Trasolini said, while Stewart added that standardized licences should be Metro-wide.

Another question concerned homelessness and the long-term approach for solving it. PoCo Mayor Greg Moore said a "broad spectrum" of services is needed. He expressed interest in market-based transitional housing, favouring the approach New York City has taken.

On the issue of how PoCo can get connected to the proposed Evergreen Line, assuming it will be built, Moore said the city has tried, even offering to provide land, but so far there's been no interest.

"It's not going anywhere," he said.

Another question concerned the proposed Murray-Clarke Connector in Port Moody.

Trasolini said it's the province's responsibility to pay for it, since the provincial government expanded the highway in the 1980s, then "siphoned off" the money that was supposed to go toward the connector. He said the project was downloaded to TransLink and after that, people began saying the city should pay.

"It was never our project," he said. "We didn't start it. We are not going to finish it."

The questioning ended on a lighter note: "Sunday -- Spain or the Netherlands?"

Everyone picked Spain.