Sterile insect program continues

by Wayne Moore - May 10, 2008 CASTANET
Kelowna City Council has approved a 2008 Parcel Tax totalling just over $1 million for continued area-wide enforcement of the codling moth control program using sterile insect technology. The program consists of two separate levies based on assessed property value and properties .30 acres or more that contain 20 or more codling moth host trees. City Revenue Manager, George King, says land assessed at $100,000 would be assessed a levy of $5.53, while properties falling into the second category would be charged $133 per assessed acre. King says the levy will be applied to all property tax rolls on a list provided through the Regional District. Councillor Colin Day, says it is hoped this will be the final year of the program. "Clean-up has taken a lot longer than what was originally anticipated. The SIR Board has taken enforcement procedures against some property owners to endure there is compliance," says Day. "Hopefully we'll get cooperation from all the owners of host trees to keep their trees clean. That will allow us to go to the maintenance stage. That will reduce the cost."

Day says The Sterile Insect Release Board will report its progress to all affected Regional Districts and municipalities. Councillor Andre Blanleil, says Council is continually being told the program is coming to an end and never does. "This program never seems to end. I think I've been here 13 or 14 years and we keep hearing it's coming to an end but it never seems to," says Blanleil. Day countered, saying when you're on the leading edge, things don't always turn out the way you planned. "This technology is being copied all around the world. We know it works, but the program just hasn't worked as quickly as we had planned. That's one of the unfortunate situations about being on the leading edge."He adds the biggest contributor to the program has been the federal and provincial governments.
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Don Quixote Note:
Vernon Taxpayers share of this program is $190,039 out of the $280,121 that is assessed for Land only on your NORD Taxes . (Nord 1 on your tax bill.) There is a further NORD Parcel tax of $119,270 for the S.I.R. program and Vernon taxpayers contribute only $16,148 of this.

The total NORD bill of $399,391 of which Vernon's share is $206,187 (51.6%) is to deball little moths and allow them to mate freely thereafter. If Vernon contributed to the entire program at the same rate as it does for parcel taxes (which is an indication of acreage that contain the host plants*) i.e 13.5% then our total bill would be $53,918. (A saving of $152,269). Of course other communities would have to increase their taxes to offset this if the S.I.R. program is to continue.

*NORD:
Part of the cost recovery of the S.I.R. program is by way of a parcel tax that is applied against all properties (parcels) of 0.3 acres or greater with 20 or more apple and/or pear trees under cultivation (both fruit bearing and non-fruit bearing trees as well as stumps), with a minimum taxable acreage of 1 acre. A 2008 S.I.R. Parcel Tax Assessment Notice has been sent out to the owners of parcels that meet the conditions set out above, showing the taxable acreages of apple and/or pear trees that are subject to the tax in 2008. The acreage values shown on the Notice reflect the area covered by apple/pear trees using a GPS mapping co-ordinate system as mapped by staff of the Okanagan-Kootenay Sterile Insect Release Board; and property ownership information is based on Land Title and Survey Authority records as at November 30, 2007.