The final countdown

By Richard Rolke Aug 08 2007 http://www.vernonmorningstar.com/

With exactly a week to go before the alternate approval process officially wraps up, I’m left wondering if the City of Vernon has prepared for possible defeat? The odds are probably stacked in favour of the city because trying to ink 10 per cent of the voters’ names is a challenge, especially during the lazy, hazy days of summer. But the Vernon Taxpayers Association has hit the streets with a fervor, taking down signatures in an attempt to keep the city from long-term borrowing $20 million for a new library/administration complex.
And while the city would like to claim demands for a referendum are simply coming from the taxpayers association, the issue goes far beyond that. I have been surprised at the level of people from all walks of life who have expressed their concerns through phone calls, letters or just stopping me on the street. There is a view that a major money matter should go to referendum — just as the Multiplex and Performing Arts Centre did — and that an alternate approval petitions is a cumbersome process that few people understand. Essentially, the perception goes, that it’s used to slide something through the back door.

I am not suggesting that is what council is doing, but no matter how legal the process is, an alternate approval petition is not the same as a referendum. And certainly some of the city’s actions during the last month have been questionable. Specifically, when it advertises that long-term borrowing (which the city wants) will cost the average home owner $38 a year for 25 years, but financing through existing reserves and surpluses would cost $160 annually for four years. Why are reserves and surpluses identified as the only option if the city loses the petition fight? Why aren’t selling city-owned lands to generate revenue or going to full referendum mentioned as alternatives for funding? Was it an over-sight? Is it a scare tactic? I will let you be the judge on that one. And the intended use of the proposed building also continues to be exaggerated.

Council insists that the new building will provide 30,000 square feet for a library and space to meet the future needs of the RCMP, art gallery, museum and city hall. But as I have stated before, the city cannot speak to the future of the museum and art gallery. They are outside the realm of the city and fit within the mandate of the Greater Vernon Services Committee.
Unless GVSC (which includes Vernon, Coldstream and Areas B and C) provides increased operating funds for the art gallery and museum, expansion is extremely unlikely. At this point and time, the only space dedicated in the new building is for the library and administration offices, whether it’s for the city or the RCMP. It’s hard to believe that requires upwards of 90,000 square feet. As much as the city has tried to make this whole debate about the building, it has nothing to do specifically with the structure or the intended uses. I personally believe there is a need for an expanded library, museum and art gallery to keep up with a growing population base. In the end, many citizens are concerned that the city is not following traditional methods to seek approval for spending their money. And for a council that promised to be more open and transparent, residents should expect no less.