Newspaper Tips their Hand

...contributing to the Amalgamation fear-mongering.

Today's front page headline is "Vernon considers tax hike".

Nothing unusual about taxes increasing, no matter which jurisdiction.  (Vernon's projected increase of 3.7 per cent is comprised of 1.8 for operations--"most of it for collective agreements"--and 1.9 for infrastructure).

But it's the timing of this article--three to six months earlier than any previous years' stories on budget deliberations--that is easily read to promote the status quo on the amalgamation issue.

"We are talking about very broad, generic numbers at this point."  Will Pearce, Vernon's chief administrative officer

Sure it's early; that's why the numbers are very broad and generic.

It isn't as though Coldstream taxes haven't gone up year after year.
But somehow, to someone somewhere, it seemed important that yet another tax increase for Vernon were made public this early.
Because it plays into the fear-mongering.

Coldstream councillors have been quoted as saying "taxes would increase" if amalgamation occurred.  Area directors also stated "we're rural, we don't want curbs and streetlights" and "Silver Star Road would cost us $1 million a year to maintain if Victoria weren't responsible for it within the regional district".

But read it carefully, folks, and the answer is right there.
In plain sight.

One-point-eight per cent of a 3.7 per cent increase "most of it for collective agreements" is the answer.

That 50 per cent of what we pay that goes to wages and benefits.
For three bureaucracies, year after year.


What the Society for the Future Governance of Greater Vernon hasn't said at all until today, let alone not said it well, is that there would be fewer government employees if amalgamation occurred when three bureaucracies are gutted and a new Greater Vernon municipality is formed.
Expensive government employees.

Yes, that's the only way the amalgamation idea will work as KPMG proposed.
 
That's the whole idea.
Eliminate dupllicate / overlapping services and costs, as KPMG's core services review recommended.

"We are looking for a new municipality and not just an absorption by Vernon of the other jurisdictions."  Peter Moore

But until Bruce Shepherd and Peter Moore actually talk plainly about things on peoples' minds, people will be swayed by the fear-mongering.

Peter did so today at the conclusion of the Society's story:  "We are looking for a new municipality and not just an absorption by Vernon of the other jurisdictions."

The Society still has a considerable distance to travel to sway people.

Presuming that the "new municipality" won't have the same mayor and council as Vernon now does, who will orchestrate the redefinition of boundaries and representation?
KPMG?

To keep the rural areas as they want, rural, will require an entirely new Official Community Plan for the greater Vernon area...one that allows rural areas to say "no" to curbs, sidewalks and streetlights.
Because that's what they want, to remain rural.
So does that mean Bylaws won't apply to the rural areas if they can say "no" to development pressures?

Does the Local Government Act actually allow that?
Or is the the LGA a dinosaur that prevents the evolution to, say, a ward system?

And what about Bylaws?  (not that many of us love them).
Whose bylaws are "best practices"?
Would those prevail over others?
Do we throw out all bylaws and start again from scratch?


Someone, some agency, some....ok, I'll say it....consultant....at arm's length from the current situation will need to be in a position of authority during the transition.
Who will grant that authority?
And will it be legal?

Sounds like a lot of lawyers and lawyer fees.
And time.

Can the area afford the severance packages that will arise?
Word has it that defined benefit pension plans are still being offered new hires in local governments.
Word also has it that local government pension plans remain an unfunded liability.
Where will that money come from?

"...an almost immediate saving of more than $2.3 million dollars just in salaries and expenses for the Coldstream elected officials and staff alone."

Doug Vincent, letter to editor.

The Society needs to state just how they'll convince Victoria to change legislation that the former RDNO's highways will still be maintained by Victoria, even if the regional district disappears.  The Local Government Act will be impacted, and Victoria will balk at that simply because the B.C. government doesn't want the amalgamation theme to spread to other areas of the province.

They'll need to convince MLA Eric Foster that a streamlined local government is desirable.
Streamlined by two-thirds.

Just guessing...but we think Eric isn't showing his hand.
He's hoping the amalgamation push will fail as it did previously.


"I'll tip my paw that amalgamation will succeed," offers Kia.

Greater Vernon Governance Society website:  http://www.greatervernongovernance.ca/

The petition is here:  http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/greater-vernon-governance-society/

An updated list of "amalgamation comments" from the public is found on this blog, just scroll down....