Amalgamation Fear-Mongering Begins

Let the turf war games begin.

A benign start that--in the weeks to come--will become more heated and evidence the very existence of North Okanagan "fiefdoms" that continue to exist despite politicians' assurances that former squabbles over power and territory have ended.

They're unaware that area politicians themselves, several years ago, proved the benefit of amalgamation by forming the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee. 
They say they've streamlined parks and water, culture and recreation.

Why stop there?
Streamline politicians.
Streamline bureaucracy.
Just as KPMG suggested in their Core Services Review.


Confusion exists, even in the media.  Yesterday's Morning Star story:  "Speaking from experience as an Area A landowner who has endured increased taxes but not noticeable increase in services..." (Coldstream councillors respond to petition, September 11, 2013). 

Area A?
Huh?

The Regional District's website states:  "The Regional District functions as a partnership of the six municipalities (Armstrong, Coldstream, Enderby, Lumby, Spallumcheen, and Vernon) and the five electoral areas (B – BX/Swan Lake, C – BX/Silver Star, D – Rural Lumby, E-Cherryville, and F- Rural Enderby) within its boundaries."  No mention of an Area "A".


Population for each area is given here:

The map of community boundaries, with no reference to an "A".

All summer long, people have complained about the price of water.  Indeed, neighbouring properties are often misinformed of where their water originates!  Click here, enter your address, and learn your domestic and irrigation water source.

Back to the advent of fear-mongering, mostly focusing on tax increases...sprinkled with Kia's admonishments.

In the same issue of The Morning Star, Coldstream mayor Jim Garlick stated "I think what we have is good and once you get educated you understand it."  "The word 'informed' would be a little less condescending," says Kia, adding "so is he doing his job if he wants us to educate ourselves?"

Coldstream Councillor Maria Besso:  "It has never been in the interest of Coldstream taxpayers to amalgamate."  "The Coldstream municipal hall wouldn't have been built," offers Kia, "that alone would've saved Coldstream taxpayers millions of dollars in debt and interest."  The fire halls in Coldstream and Lavington were a good idea though, because they actually serve residents.  What does a municipal hall do, full of bureaucrats, except create paperwork and stress like Coldstream's not-dead RU10 and RU30 rezoning of lands on which people are living?

Coldstream Councillor Richard Enns:   "Every Coldstream resident I've talked to is opposed to it.  I think people feel that their local government is a good one and it's very sensitive."  "He's talked to a narrow group of like-minded narrow-thinkers,"  suggests Kia.

Coldstream Councillor Gyula Kiss, apparently a long-time opponent to amalgamation:  "...Residents will not be happy about having taxes increased, a limited access council and services altered, and possible cuts.  The people that live here are quite happy with the service we provide."  "I'm all for a limited access council," offers Kia.  "and only one Mayor and a couple of councillors attending the annual UBCM meetings."

Coldstream Councillor Doug Dirk says much of the decisions for a local government to spend money came from taxpayers.  "No, that's not true," reminds Kia.  "It was the wording of the referendum (which wouldn't have been held at all without a council) that asked not whether we wanted to build a new municipal hall, but whether we wanted to borrow the money for it."  Council was going to build the new municipal hall come hell or high water!
They gave Coldstream taxpayers NO opportunity to say NO, DON'T BUILD IT.

Coincidentally, a majority of folks don't want a Coldstream Town Centre either.
Especially when one-quarter of Vernon's commercial spaces are either for rent, for lease or for sale. 

But it's the response--or lack of one--from Pat Cochrane that speaks volumes.  A former councillor in Vernon who now serves as councillor in Coldstream, when asked about amalgamation "declined to comment" on the subject.

The petition for the Greater Vernon Governance Society is here:

And a suggestion to the Morning Star...when printing the petition ballot...please use a WHITE background (versus BLACK).  People are looking for a white-ink pen!

And a reminder to Eric Foster, MLA Vernon Monashee, that it might best for his "career interest" to NOT be so fervently against amalgamation this time around.

Amalgamation Momentum Builds in North Okanagan

Not that it hasn't before.
Oh...at a guess...maybe three or four times in the nearly 40 years my family has resided here.


But this time, there's a sense...a feeling...that things are different.

That residents won't take "status quo" for an answer.
That Eric Foster, MLA for Vernon Monashee, won't walk into government offices in Victoria and recommend that the Minister "ignore the North Okanagan's amalgamation clamor".

On occasions almost too numerous to count, this blog has referenced the dissent and utter frustration of residents to the area's over-governance.  Even then-minister Ida Chong paid only lip service to the amalgamation call.

Blog references are here:
http://northokanagandaily.blogspot.ca/2011/07/north-okanaganover-governed-and-under.html,
http://northokanagandaily.blogspot.ca/2013/03/rolke-rollover.html,
http://northokanagandaily.blogspot.ca/2013/02/dismissing-kpmgs-recommendation.html,
http://northokanagandaily.blogspot.ca/2013/01/no-balls-no-vision.html, http://northokanagandaily.blogspot.ca/2013/06/former-vernon-councillor-speaks-out.html,
http://northokanagandaily.blogspot.ca/2013/06/the-powerful-logic-of-michael-tindall.html,
http://northokanagandaily.blogspot.ca/2011/11/occupy-voting-booth.html,
http://northokanagandaily.blogspot.ca/2010/03/559-per-cent-coldstream-property-tax.html,
http://northokanagandaily.blogspot.ca/2010/02/water-rate-gouging.html, http://northokanagandaily.blogspot.ca/2011/08/abuse-of-power-by-district-of.html

"Whew," offers Kia.

The Press Release from the group follows:
...doubt you'll see this anytime soon in the Morning Star.

(Ed.note:  bold is blog emphasis).

"Future Governance Society Launches Web Site and Petition Drive

MEDIA RELEASE

September 8th, 2013

For Immediate Use

The Society for the Future Governance of Greater Vernon has launched a web site to gather citizen’s signatures, with the goal of having the question of whether or not a single local government would be more efficient and make better use of tax dollars be addressed. The website is www.greatervernongovernance.ca

Society President Bruce Shepherd says that the Society is a group of citizens from Vernon, Coldstream and Electoral areas “B” and “C” and they will be looking to collect signatures from more than 10% of the registered voters in each of the areas. Our desire is to demonstrate to local and provincial politicians that citizens want to know the best model for an efficient local governance system. We believe the time has come for us to act as ONE community.

“It might be amalgamation or it might not,” said Shepherd “which is why it’s important for citizens on both sides of the issue to sign the petition and get the question on the table for formal discussion with facts. Local and Provincial politicians won’t take the initiative to find cost and efficiency savings in Governance, unless taxpayers demand it.”

Society director Peter Moore noted that some increases in taxes are bound to happen over time, but questions why the cost of government has risen so rapidly.  He quotes Canadian Federation of Independent Business research showing population grew 10% in Coldstream between 2000 and 2010 while District spending per capita adjusted for inflation grew by 32%.  In Vernon for the same period, population grew by 13% while real spending per capita soared by 53%.

“Do the math,” says Moore.  “District and City spending is far outstripping the ability to pay so where will the dollars come from?  Either taxpayers dig ever deeper or services and programs will be cut. To avoid this we must find cost savings in how we operate municipal government.”

Anyone who’s lived in Greater Vernon for the last 15 years knows very well the turf wars and arguments between Coldstream, Vernon, the Regional District and the Electoral areas” said Shepherd, “and they continue to this day.

He went on to say that the recent KPMG Core Services Review for the City identified local governance as a complex web of local government institutions.  They further identified duplication of skills, effort and resources at the senior management level as well as complication of operations and even misalignment of priorities and policies between the entities.

“KPMG recommended that the highest potential to improve efficiency and reduce costs for local governance was amalgamation,” noted Shepherd, “and that’s from a respected international accounting and consulting firm.  Maybe we should pay more attention to their findings rather than dismissing them.”

“Citizens should ask why, in a 30 kilometer circle around Vernon with 58,000 people, we need two mayors, 12 councilors, a regional district board and three complements of highly paid senior staff.  We believe that we need to start thinking as ONE Community, and hope citizens join our effort” he said.

For Further Information:    Bruce Shepherd 250-503-0663 or Peter Moore 250-545-2432"

"God's speed to Bruce and Peter," says Kia.
 
A hurricane will likely be needed, too.

No Balls, No Vision

Ignoring Study results.
Politicians are good at that in the North Okanagan.

They ask for input from the public, then ignore the common sense ideas.
More and more residents are aware of that, proven again in yet another Letter to the Editor by Sally Gorby of Vernon, stating "They ask people what they want; then do exactly as they please."

That's nothing new to those of us living in Coldstream. 
The new Municipal Hall comes to mind.

Politicians commission expensive studies from consultants, and then ignore crucial findings. 
Recently, the most noteworthy is KPMG's report, whose recommendations included "amalgamating Vernon, Coldstream and the electoral areas."

"The best way is likely difficult to achieve, if not impossible.  You need to restructure local government to be more efficient."

                                                                                        KPMG Senior Manager Bourne      
Seems Vernon's Mayor Sawatzky isn't keen to "open old wounds".
Open old wounds?

No balls for constructive change is more like it.
No vision beyond his term.

And, while today mute on the subject, Coldstream's Mayor Garlick is in lockstep with that position.
No Amalgamation.

Governance change--and the Amalgamation issue--sure to consistently save taxpayer money over the current model (if it can be called a model) aren't new ideas here.  Even sometime-minister Ida Chong requested a review, based on demands from officials and the public, then waffled and did nothing.

KPMG's senior manager, Brian Bourne, noted of the amalgamation recommendation, "The best way is likely difficult to achieve, if not impossible.  You need to restructure local government to be more efficient."
He probably lives here.

Even former councillors can see further into the future, evidenced by Shawn Lee's comment regarding a resident's request to be annexed into Vernon:  "Perhaps if some sort of boundary could be determined by the province that would delineate Vernon's ultimate geographic area...an area that could reduce the amount of governance of Greater Vernon."  He concludes:  "...the debate over this most recent request to join Vernon demonstrates the political unsustainability of municipal boundaries as they now stand."

Over-governance quickly enters the realm of the ridiculous.
Take Coldstream's new method for dealing with water concerns.
Calling the new plan "better service", Coldstream's chief poobah Stamhuis said people would previously be told to call the regional district office when they phoned the municipal office to complain about, say, dirty water coming out of their tap.  Just such an incident over the Christmas holidays led to a three-day delay before the Coldstream homeowner actually had someone from the Regional District attend her water event (where it was eventually determined zero residual chlorine was present in her household's waterline.)

Don't politicians see that residents can't get the hang of who is in control of what in these myriad administrations?  Little of it makes sense.
A sure sign of over-governance.

So what happened?  Coldstream has decided that a Coldstream bureaucrat will make the phone call on the homeowners' behalf to the Regional District a mile north.

Hallelujah!
Heaven forbid we mere taxpayers could also circumvent the sleeping switchboard's recorded message ourselves. 

Back to the "A" word...amalgamation.
Despite having seen Ottawa's amalgamation with 10 municipalities, our elected officials have no taste for getting down to real business and saving real taxpayer money.   Now 10 years later, people now understand its benefits.
Local government isn't above using the phrase economies of scale, but only when it suits them.
Case in point the poorly handled issue of the Okanagan Landing Firefighters, where firefighter training and call-outs are being consolidated.  Yup, for economies of scale.

Open your window.
Audible are sighs of relief from bureaucrats in Coldstream and Vernon and the Regional District that there'll be no amalgamation.

Politicians hate change.

Taxpayers have no choice whether to accept change...a mind-boggling list of new bylaws, regulations and permits abound...everything from where you can park on your property and how many vehicles can be parked there, to the "form and character" of what you want to build on your property.

So let's look at 'form and character'.
And see government disobeying their own bylaws.
Proof is the recent replacement of Vernon Secondary School, smack amid the built-up South Hill.  Numerous neighbours state "it looks like a prison, where's the form and character in that?"

"Where's the 'form and character' here?  It resembles a prison."

The old Vernon Secondary School, now being "deconstructed", chock-full of  'form and character.'

Where indeed!

Politicians say they're working hard to reduce taxes for 2013.
But that they have to focus on water, parks, fire training consolidation, and the proposed sports facility which is going to referendum in spring.  

Vernon's tax hike is currently running at 4.7 per cent.
To help fill coffers, Vernon is considering upping parking rates.  Downtown Vernon Merchants are shaking their heads in disbelief as more and more cars opt for the free parking at malls in Vernon's north end.  Vernon has plans (again) for revitalizing downtown...oh oh, say the merchants, now what are they doing to us?

Coldstream says it has "financial pressures", and taxes will increase by 4.12 per cent.
Financial pressures?  Ya think?

But Mayor Garlick still wants a Town Centre for Coldstream; we suppose he hasn't seen the For Rent, For Lease and For Sale signs for retail and commercial space from here to Enderby.  The Shops at Polson remain half empty, partially because the new connection road (that would eliminate the two uphill Mall Exits during icy winters) was never built; and partially because commercial lease rates in the Okanagan aren't justifiable for the small population it can attract.  Garlick's other wishlist at Trintec can't find an anchor tenant, again because lessees consider demographics.   The former Consumers Glass facility remains empty, chiefly because Mayor Garlick decided he didn't want to split it up into marketable units.
Ahem.
Because a film studio might one day be interested in the site...sheesh.
Guess he doesn't realize international films consider the strength of the Canadian dollar...and opt not to come here.

Coldstream Councillor Kiss' comment from a meeting last year still reverberates:  "We can be $19 million in debt."
Unless residents intercede, Coldstream will be.

"No guts, no glory," offers Kia, anticipating more of the over-governance we've come to know, but not love.