Greater Vernon Governance - Amalgamation

[Hassel99]

Are you suggesting that providing clean drinking water and a proper sewage system is a negative? Should these services not be provided to the tax payers, Or are current District A & B folks not allowed into the 21st century ?

[bob vernon]

If they vote to join, they can come in. But remember the $40 million in water upgrades that we voted for during the Sean Harvey years. That $40 million was mostly spent on laying pipes to new developments and most of the Landing was left on the smelly swamp water while the new developments got the new, filtered water supply. And the whole city paid for it. If a developer wants to build a subdivision and bring it into the city..... the developer, and not the rest of the city, should pay for the water lines, and the sewer also.

Again...... politics in the Okanagan is driven by developers. Any changes to the municipal government structure carries with it changes to the rules governing development and you can be sure plans are already being made and candidates are being "approached". Just remember the Landing in the early 90s. The long time residents got hosed. The developers made a lot of money on the backs of the city taxpayers. We just never learn.

[Ingevan22]

This discussion and others makes me think we might be better off governing by Castanet forum! Talk about a virtual amalgamation. Bob Vernon, Hassel99, Glacier, you're running for sure! A big thank you to all those who take the time to post informative info (is there any other kind???).

[bob vernon]

The shell game continues. All the talk at public forums is whether or not having one city hall is better than having two or three and how we might save a few thousand dollars here or there. The real issue is infilling development and who pays for the necessary increase in infrastructure. Who should pay for the new larger sewer and water lines? Where should they be routed? "It will be "convenient" to have them pass near or under this undeveloped agricultural land"....... and then the undeveloped land will be outta the ALR and rezoned for single residential. And the enlarged sewage treatment plant and water treatment will be paid for by the community at large. On the backs of the current residents.

There are millions to be made in the coming development and the possible demise of the ALR. And they've got Coldstreamers wondering if three snowplows could maybe do the job of the current four. There are even more millions to be made if developers can get the current taxpayers to pay for the services.

[jasond_71]

One thing I didn't realize as well was the huge savings Coldstream realizes by having volunteer firefighters. At a cost of well over $100,000 per firefighter this alone would increase property taxes in Coldstream and Areas B and C.

And if you think we can keep the volunteer fire department just look at the debacle in Okanagan Landing.

[Dizzy1]

There was an article in the Morning Star about how the City of Vernon needs to cutback on road maintenance by reducing road widths, abandoning sidewalks and replacing gutters with ditches ...

http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/news/254425271.html

... as well as not paving some rural roads ...

A number of savings are anticipated if some roads are declassified for maintenance, lane widths are reduced, fewer sidewalks are replaced and the paved surface for rural residential roads is reduced.

Some local roads may not see asphalt renewal for 60 years.

... while it has nothing to do with the actual topic of this thread, I did read the comments at the bottom and Gyula Kiss had an interesting one that makes one really think, especially if you live out in the rural areas how Amalgamation can have a serious long term effect on your life ...

Gyula Kiss · University of British Columbia

"A number of savings are anticipated if some roads are declassified for maintenance, lane widths are reduced, fewer sidewalks are replaced and the paved surface for rural residential roads is reduced."

Not a good thing for the "unification" promoters.

[wanderingman]

One thing I didn't realize as well was the huge savings Coldstream realizes by having volunteer firefighters. At a cost of well over $100,000 per firefighter this alone would increase property taxes in Coldstream and Areas B and C.

And if you think we can keep the volunteer fire department just look at the debacle in Okanagan Landing.

one very good of many many reasons no one in their correct mind that lives in Coldstream Bc would want to join Vernon
as far as clean water goes we all pay big time for that one.Everytime I water my lawns it cost 1.80 per cu meter and it uses 21 CM per watering.its actually outrageous especially when u see coldstream ranch forget to move sprinklers and water the same alfalfa for 4 days straight and they pay a pittance compared to private home owners

[Silverstarqueen]

quote="jasond_71"One thing I didn't realize as well was the huge savings Coldstream realizes by having volunteer firefighters. At a cost of well over $100,000 per firefighter this alone would increase property taxes in Coldstream and Areas B and C.

And if you think we can keep the volunteer fire department just look at the debacle in Okanagan Landing./quote

one very good of many many reasons no one in their correct mind that lives in Coldstream Bc would want to join Vernon
as far as clean water goes we all pay big time for that one.Everytime I water my lawns it cost 1.80 per cu meter and it uses 21 CM per watering.its actually outrageous especially when u see coldstream ranch forget to move sprinklers and water the same alfalfa for 4 days straight and they pay a pittance compared to private home owners

It's a free country, if you want to "pay a pittance" for water, buy a farm, and work it, and you can have the same rate as any other farm operation. The farmers didn't ask to be given expensive pristeen water to put on their fields, that was forced on them, that's the only choice they have. Then people complain they use so much water. The total amount of water that a farmer can use is regulated per acre, so if a farmer waters one area for four days, or puts it on different areas in those four days, it's the same amount of water used until they reach their limit. If it's a dry year and they need more,they have to cut back 20% or whatever any way. Last time I checked you can't grow much of a crop or raise animals without water. The alternative is to scrap the ALR, make farmers pay like everyone else for water, and watch all the fields dry up and catch fire, along with the nearby neighborhoods.
I pay the same residential rate that anyone else does for my home water, even though my land is farmed. And I don't squawk about it.

[wanderingman]

silverstar queen?? you really beleive all u posted about? and you actually enjoy paying 1.80 per cu meter of water??
I think your full of stuff and dont beleive anything u posted

[Silverstarqueen]

I didn't say I enjoyed it, I said I don't squawk about it. The water system was perfectly fine before. Just because two drunks in Walkerton couldn't figure out how to operate the water sanitization system, everyone has to upgrade to this $100 M system. THe whole "Master water plan" was ill conceived in the first place, but what other choice did the district have? Our family was not ill on the previous system and it was far more economical. There are a few areas where they should maybe prevent the cattle from tip toeing through the areas that drain into it, but they better compensate those farmers if they do that. I have no idea why this water plan is so much more expensive than, say Kelowna's, but then I don't have a background in that area, so this is what the "experts" have come up with. And incidentally, everything I posted was the truth, you don't have to believe it.

[bob vernon]

Remember when Sean Harvey was mayor? He came up with that $40 million plan to upgrade our water system. It was all spent on pushing new lines out to new subdivisions. The developers didn't have to pay for anything more than the hookups to each house. And we all pay for it on our water bills each month. We, including me, thought that we were going to get better and safer water. Some of us did. And I have to admit that I voted for it.

Remember last civic election in Kelowna. The return of a former mayor and several new councilors? Under the banner of 4Kelowna or something like that. Pro-development. And they've done their job of rezoning and channeling road funds into the desired direction.

Be wary of civic politicians who say things like they want to upgrade infrastructure without saying just how,who pays, where and so on. They just might be wanting to increase your taxes and water rates to give to developers. It's how the cities in the Okanagan operate. I have no problem with US spending on infrastructure. I have a big problem when it's targeted to new developments. If developers want to develop, they should pay for the roads, sewers, and water to the subdivision.

[Hassel99]

Bob, the new development homeowners pay for the sewer/water installations via thier property taxes (and increased revenue to the city) amortized over the life time of the property. Sure the city bucks up for the capital cost up front, but they get to reap income from the development for years.

[wanderingman]

It is no secret that Vernon taxpayers wish to share their burden with as many other taxpayers as possible.

We are one community - how would Coldstream survive without Vernon?

Did you know that it costs thousands of dollars less to hook up to sewer in the Coldstream than in Okanagan Landing, when in fact one is connecting to one and the same sewer system, yep that one with the big poop plant located right within the city of Vernon? Comparing rates, it looks as if Coldstream residents pay an extra $50 a year, compared to Vernon residents.

So about that pre-amalgamation letter dated January 27, 1993 and its so-called promises:

(and as one of those property owners in the Landing currently charged for sewer without being connected to it @$200/year... with a connection fee of $5,500 that automatically increases 5% every year)

...I could have saved myself a lot of trouble if I had read the actual text of that letter.

The letter says:

"3. SANITARY SEWER UTILITY:
a) CONNECTION FEES: Each property will be required to pay the standard connection fee, or the actual connection cost, whichever is the lower."

What was not predicted in 1993 was that the sewer system to service the Landing past the Yacht Club would have to be a pressurized system that requires properties to purchase, install and maintain their own poop grinder pump. This is an additional cost to the property owner, beyond connection.

Ex-Mayor McGrath was willing to point out that he had not contemplated this extra cost, but again, he also explained that no one was ever promised FREE sewer (or water) connection in the Landing. That is simply not the case.

although there may be some validity in the context of your story, your mostly misguided in your ideals and opinions
the only mistake the city of vernon made on the Ok landing sewer deal is they should have made it MANDATORY that all people on the lake side of OK landing road be forced to hook up to city sewer.