Exciting issues for Council to Ponder in Future.

After a 3 week hiatus from Council debate the taxpayer of Vernon should find upcoming council meetings entertaining and enlightening. Things that I envision seeing on upcoming agendas include:

• The long awaited City Financial Statements and Airport Financials. (What is the final Airport Profit (or overcharge) that will make it back into City coffers?) Is the final surplus from last year $1,550,000 and how was it sliced and diced.
• The 2007 Annual Report due June 30. This is report that details salaries>,$75,000 and expenses of senior bureaucrabs and politicians as well as suppliers over $25,000.
• Will this suggestion that was on agenda at the July 9 COW meeting be adopted. I expected the Council to recommend that my submission re the $275,000 to be placed in a 2008 residential tax Equalization fund to correct the 2007 budget decision be referred to the 2008 budget deliberations but it was ignored. After the meeting I discovered that it was on the backside of the budget priorities memo and may have been overlooked.
• A complete study and debate on the state of and the redistribution of Reserves.
• The DCC reserve and a study and report by an outside consultant in 2007 done in conjunction with ongoing OCP which will release prelim report in December 2007.
• The settlement terms of the ongoing labour negotiations and the determination of whether enough was set aside in this years budget.
• The final count after Aug 15 re the Library/Civic Complex Counter petition opportunity. What will the Council reaction to petition of more than 3500 voters. Will they go to referendum on a legit question of ' should we built it and finance it over 20 years' or will they have the gonads to forge ahead with the sale of assets, raiding of reserves and short term taxation and ignore the wishes of the more than 22,000 who wanted long term financing by not signing petition? (Will be quite the dilemma to contemplate?)
• Will the Casino proposed 30,000 sq. ft leased property on Anderson Way get the required zoning approval to expand the Casino from 210 slots to over 400. Will the Council approve this expansion? What will the Council suggest doing with the additional $1,700,000 that will come in each year from this source. If the Casino did not get the OK to relocate would the Library be a candidate for a 30,000 sq. ft. location on the ground floor?
• Who will go to UBC?. Will Council insist that Coun. Beardsell go to UBCM to champion his proposals re Hospital Funding and Small Business tax break ?
• Will the proposal of EKISTICS TOWN PLANNING INC. – OCP AMENDMENT APPLICATION FOR 9650 EASTSIDE ROAD proceed to Public Hearing. Will the original 4-3 vote prevail or will some councillors decide to defer as recommended by their newly hired long-term planner until the OCP is presented in first draft in December?
• Will NORD municipal directors accept the proposed raise from $1495 to $6000 per year or will they donate these new funds to a local charity until these raise are confirmed in the next election?
• Will Corrections Canada negotiate another in-camera meeting with the City or will the proposed meeting be held in the open?
• Will council move to having less in camera meetings and adopt the Castegar Agenda Notification method as described at http://www.castlegar.ca/icagendas/ia070716.pdf.
• Did Okanagan Springs meet Canada Day Deadline? or will the Council extend their deadline?
• The Regional District of the Central Okanagan has found a better way to dispose of beetle infested trees and wood debris from regional parks. The Regional District Board will apply to the Union of B.C. Municipalities for funding to purchase an air curtain burner. Picture and details at Curtain Burner On The Way (KELOWNA) . Will Vernon or NORD have the smarts to investigate this for next years budget?
• Will the future and location of the Airport be an integral part of the OCP ? After all this is a report with a 20-30 year horizon. Input from our previous long term planner as well as our current one would be welcomed.
• Will Vernon have to rewrite their secondhand dealers bylaw to comply with a recent court decision? Client rights breached by list seizure
• O'keefe Ranch and financial future. R.V. Park or compost location?
• A MRIF grant application for the Library and Municipal Offices was submitted in Jan. of 2007. The deadline for all applications will be on January 31, 2007. It is anticipated all funding from the current agreement will be allocated by summer 2007. Will there be grant money in our future? Watch http://www.canadabcmrif.ca/default.htm for announcments!
• Staff at Vernon City Hall are preparing a report that may recommend an overhaul of the building permit process. CITY MAY REVAMP BUILDING PERMIT PROCESS Feb 15o7 posting. Will we see this report soon?