By Jennifer Dyck Morning Star Staff Jun 27 2007 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/
A Coldstream councillor is blowing the whistle on his own colleagues over a service he says is robbing the majority to serve few interests. Coun. Bill Firman is calling the recent sewer line extensions’ public process flawed, and is demanding that the Ministry of Community Services review the process. “We didn’t follow the proper process of a petition,” said Firman, whose motion was tabled for a future meeting so council could spend more time dealing with the issue.
“The current sewer users were looted of money and the bank roll extended the sewer in this community,” said Firman, echoing the concerns of resident Gyula Kiss who routinely voices his disgust with the process and fees being paid by current users. “It’s so fundamentally unfair and I think we need an opinion on it and we need a legal opinion.” Firman has voiced his opposition in the past to the sewer extensions, but when it comes to the Kalamalka Road extension from McClounie to Aberdeen Roads chief administrative officer Wendy Kay says that project is not flawed as it has long been identified in the sewer plan.
But Firman is particularly frustrated with the extension from McClounie Road to Mackie Drive, which came on board with a local developer. The Coldstream Meadows developer put in the sewer line along Giles, Pine and Mackie drives. A latecomer agreement for residents on this extension was recently paid out to the developer by the district, costing $264,000. That reduces the nearly $10,000 connection fee to make sewer connection equal for all users at $2,000.
But Firman says this is unfair to those who have been paying into the sewer system for a lot longer. “It seems to me at the very least these people (along the extension) should be forced to hook up,” said Firman.
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