By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star - February 29, 2008
Some politicians insist that any changes to Okanagan governance should possibly include amalgamating rural electoral areas into municipalities. The committee investigating governance options met Wednesday, and some members used it as a way of pitching the idea of district municipalities. Among the most vocal proponents was Wayne Lippert, Vernon’s mayor. “Representation would be better served if we were all at the same table,” he said of municipalities and electoral areas.Part of Lippert’s comments were based on a report done by consultant Allan Neilson-Welch. Neilson-Welch recently met with all Okanagan municipalities about potential governance changes. “Elected officials in most municipalities support the addition of a district municipality option under which existing municipalities and their surrounding electoral areas would be amalgamated,” states the report. “These officials suggest that local and sub-regional service delivery are frustrated by the presence of separate jurisdictions within what are, de facto, single communities.”
The committee has stated before that it is interested in valley-wide issues and not boundary issues, and some indicated Wednesday that there is already an existing process for amalgamations.Rick Fairbairn, rural Lumby director, believes amalgamations have nothing to do with the larger concept of valley-wide governance over matters like water and transportation. “District municipalities are a separate issue,” he said. Lippert had hoped district municipalities could be discussed at a gathering of Okanagan municipalities in Kelowna March 7, but that didn’t get much support. Consultant Peter Adams, who will facilitate the March 7 session, says the amalgamation topic could kill consensus on valley-wide governance and feed the fear of small communities that the large cities want to take over. “If it seems like there is a backdoor agenda, it will fall apart,” he said.
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No direction yet for governance process By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star -
A single regional district may only be a distant concept now, but there’s still no clear direction when it comes to Okanagan governance. The committee looking at valley-wide governance options met in Coldstream Wednesday, and while there was considerable debate, no concrete solution arose.“The opinions are diverse,” said Jerry Oglow, North Okanagan Regional District chairman. Fuelling the discussion was a report from consultant Allen Neilson-Welch which encompassed the feedback he got from 19 municipal councils and regional district committees.
It’s clear from the report that the one possible change in governance that is unpopular is a move towards a single regional district for the entire Okanagan. “The general view is that the broader area is too diverse for one board to properly represent, and that the important perspectives and voices of many jurisdictions would be lost,” states Neilson-Welch in the report.
Most members of Vernon council favour one regional district. “We are letting emotion and fear of big brother take over,” said Mayor Wayne Lippert of the opposition to the option. While there was some support for an alliance among regional districts, the report states the favoured option is a single authority to tackle issues of mutual concern, such as water or transportation. Under this plan, the three existing regional districts would remain. Herman Halvorson, rural Enderby director, is concerned the report didn’t reflect the view of electoral area directors who unanimously stand behind the status quo. “It should have been mentioned. It’s like they want to steer us in a direction,” he said. Some committee members suggested tackling the issue of amalgamating rural areas with municipalities, but that didn’t go over well with others. “We are here to deal with valley-wide issues,” said Dan Ashton, chairman of the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen. The committee is now preparing for a meeting in Kelowna March 7 that will involve all municipal councils in the valley. Grahame Reid, Peachland mayor, is concerned, though that any further discussion on the options will be limited because some information has not been compiled. “It’s hard to evaluate a model if we don’t know the financial impact,” he said. That was also the view of Sharon Shepherd, Kelowna mayor. “Quite frankly I don’t have one right now,” she said of possible governance preferences. Committee members are also suggesting that they may need to work beyond the March 31 deadline to present recommendations to Community Services Minister Ida Chong.The goal would be to compile more detailed information and perhaps consult with the public more.“March 31 is the beginning and not necessarily the end,” said Reid of the process.
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