Budget Passed at NORD

With no public input and a few changes the Budget was passed at NORD. After a long in-camera session towards the end of the original meeting where one could hear a shouting match about items that the lone public member and the lone media representative were excluded from even though it was budget related a brief 10 minute recess ensued. During this recess the contentious subject must have been put put to rest as the resulting call back into the darkside lasted less than 5 minutes.

The open meeting on the budget ensued and Rolke and Don Quixote were welcome to come back to observe the learned debate and the fate of the taxpayer. Vernon's tax rate requisition had dropped to 6% from the originally announce 6.9%. Most of this were for functions or pieces of functions that were too late to be legally set up to meet the budget deadline and they will be billed to Vernon Directly or Vernon will have to increase their budget accordingly. (your taxes). The only change of any consequence was the decision not to include $3,000,000 for a new and improved NORD building but to add back in about $68,000 for necessary upgrades to the old one. The decision was to put off this possibility until it may be reintroduced in the 2009 budget after the regional governance issues are put to bed by mid year. (The 'beloved Leader' Ida Chong will have restructured the Valley by that time.) This change was put through by a weighted vote when the 3 reps from Vernon joined Mayor Corner from Coldstream and Area F rep. Halvorson to support this deletion. (This item had no direct budget implications as it would have gone to counter petition or referendum before it was factored in. The necessary staff comment that there was another way through short term borrowing where the public would not have to be consulted was dismissed by the assembled elders.)

Coun. Beardsell who was sitting in the audience along with a couple of Coldstream reps drawing down their Coldstream meeting stipend asked that the Board think about the way the public could participate in the next years budget deliberations in a much more meaningful way. The 'Great Concillator" Chair Oglow took the suggestion in the constructive way that it was given and assured the audience assembled that the method of encouraging public input would improve in the next year.

I sensed that the matter of reserves at the Multiplex and performing Arts had been aired at the in-camera meeting and that the politicians were now knowledgeable about the fact that these reserves were being systematically raised so they could be used as a capital down payment on either a new building or large additions. (read second sheet maybe). They didn't change that item in the budget for this year or instruct financial staff of any cap that should be put on these reserves in the open session. I hope the media polls these politicians to find out whether they were knowledgeable about this type of reserve policy, whether they approve of such a policy and why this policy was not announced openly each year to the taxpayer. (Any board member or politician is welcome to post a comment to this post to clarify their position)

When I left they were discussing the $2300 legal bill of one of the Directors re a possible conflict of interest charge and whether the taxpayers would pick up the tab. This meeting had between 15-20 politicians at it, just imagine the scene Friday in Kelowna when 120 Valley Politicians go to smooze and genuflect at the feet of the 'beloved Leader'.