Vernon vies for voice in governance report

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star - March 12, 2008

A substantial rift could be developing over the valley-wide governance process. The City of Vernon wants the mayors of Vernon, Kelowna, Westside and Penticton to submit their own report to Community Services Minister Ida Chong because it has little faith that the governance task force’s report will actually reflect the views of the four large cities. “I don’t want us to come across as bullies but we need to look after our taxpayers,” said Mayor Wayne Lippert. The city’s primary concern is that the task force’s draft report will be authored by the chief administrative officers of the three existing regional districts and a ministry representative. Coun. Juliette Cunningham questions whether employees of the regional districts can objectively look at other governance models. “They are in a conflict. At our North Okanagan Regional District table, that CAO wants to preserve the status quo,” she said. Lippert goes on to say that Central Okanagan Regional District’s administrator is retiring and the Okanagan-Similkameen Regional District has an interim administrator.“I am not sure if the depth is there to put a good report together,” he said.

The perception of Vernon council is the task force’s report may only reflect the view of electoral areas and small municipalities. “We need to separate ourselves from this report. I don’t know how we can represent our taxpayers if anything remotely close to status quo remains,” said Coun. Pat Cochrane. Coun. Barry Beardsell insists the four largest cities have not had a chance to put forward their views. “This whole thing has been manipulated from a regional perspective,” he said. Most members of Vernon council favour a single regional district for the entire Okanagan Valley. Cochrane was among the most vocal to support the four cities taking a united position. “Their report would represent 80 per cent of the population in the area. At some point, the majority must have its say,” he said. But the governance task force’s vice-chairman disputes the City of Vernon’s concerns.

“There is nothing preventing any separate segment of the region from providing input. But to suggest our employees are not capable of putting forward an unbiased report is not correct,” said Jerry Oglow, NORD chairman and Armstrong mayor. “What it (task force report) looks like, what it says is presumptuous on the City of Vernon’s part. I believe the CAOs and the ministry representative will collate the facts and simply outline what the consensus is of the majority of people who provided input during the process.” And while the CAOs will develop the draft report, Oglow points out that the task force — made up of elected officials — will have the final say on its content.