Open and Transparent City Council ?

On July 24 I gave a convoluted diatribe at the public input session on the 2005 Financial Report. Usually written answers to questions raised by presenters at public input sessions are produced by staff and are part of the next council meetings package agenda so they can be discussed if required at the open council meeting. As this was was the time when our new financial Guru was taking over from his retiring predecessor this did not happened. I received a written copy of the answers to most of the questions I raised at the Aug. 31 finance committee meeting and participated in a brief discussion on most of the report. I then raised some of my concerns about some of the missing responses especially to do with the Airport and the DVA re my small business tax break proposal by e-mail early last week. ( The first sentence of my e-mail read :Thanks for your answers to the questions and observations that I made. Although your answers were quite comprehensive and will serve as a great starting point at the full Council meeting, I felt that I should clarify a few points. etc.)

I expected this full response to be included in this weeks agenda as some of the issues and concerns I raised had to do with the upcoming City Council- DVA proposed meeting and the annual trip to the UBCM (Oct 23-27). There is no Agenda item at this week's council meeting.

The finance staff has provided the basis for most of these questions to be discussed in a political open meeting. Their job is to basically explain the concern, gather up the required facts, indicate whether the question has some merit and leave the decision to the elected officials. They do not have control of the agenda and whether it is discussed at an open meeting. The agenda is set and approved by the Mayor.

My main concern with the Airport monies is once again posted at the end of an article in the Morning Star. Airport closes to extend runway . The rest of my questions are in the hands of Vernon Council and if they don't address them then I will continue to bore you with rants like this into the future.

Major open questions that need political direction include:

• Airport runway reserve ($1,900.000 by 2010)


• Detailed budget online


• DCC's on less than 4 units


• Tax Ratios Light Industry and Utilities (report required by Oct.1)


• Heavy Industrial tax ratio proposal for UBCM


• Small Business tax break


• DCC's on low income housing


• Fine revenue through Police Reserve for audit trail.