Thursday, August 07, 2008

No more GVS

By Peter McIntyre 107.5 kissfm

It's the end of the line for the Greater Vernon Governance Service. NORD directors have repealed the bylaw that created the agency in 2001 to manage local issues like parks and rec, water and economic development. Vernon and Coldstream were opposed. Under NORD's committee restructuring plan, Greater Vernon Services will be renamed the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee. NORD directors have given three readings to a new bylaw that will restructure the district's committee system. Chairman Jerry Oglow says the changes will save some money, use staff time more wisely and allow the board to work more closely together.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Will anyone please tell us why GVSC was created in the first place..And why it's now going to be saving money because if it's demise..

Everyone one of these politicans who created this initiative in the first place, should be removed and someone should seek some form of a joint civil redress to compensate all of the tax payers dollars wasted...

We need to stand united..Let's remove these ineffective community leaders and replace them with people who are cognizant of the rate payers concerns.

Signed
Robin Hood

Anonymous said...

Robin Hood Robin Hood Riding through the glen
Robin Hood Robin Hood with his merry band of maids and men
Loved by the good despised by the bad
Robin Hood Robin Hood
Robin Hooooooood

The legend is alive and well in Vernon and Pecticton


signed-RH

Anonymous said...

Let us also remember it was the Vernon and Districts Taxpayers'Association that passed a resolution unanimously calling for the dissolution of the GVSC a concoction of Harvey's and Postill

Way ahead of the politicians!!
As usual!

Anonymous said...

How the hell does a group without a mandate or a constitution or a membership list pass a resolution?

Why don't you 'fess up and tell us what your aims are. Or is it easier just to snipe from the sidelines.

Why not pass a resolution to offer some constructive suggestions rather than tearing at the institutions put in place by politicians clearly lacking in any really good ideas to fix our current issues and a bureaucracy that is incompetent and obstructive.

Time to step up to the plate Mr. Taxpayer and contribute.

By the way GVS was set up as a sneaky way for Vernon to amalgamate with Coldstream and annex Electoral Areas B and C, by the "big-thinkers" at Vernon City Hall. That Coldstream and NORD went along with it in the first place was a discredit to their collective intelligence. But then the only way to fix something is to stress it to breaking and then ride in like a white knight with solutions.

Or had that scenario already occurred to the shadowy wingnuts behind the taxpayers associations?

Anonymous said...

First of all because we live in a Democracy -last time I looked- we have the right to freedom of Assembly and Free speech!

We have the right to express our thoughts opinions on the issues that face us as Taxpayers since we pay the bills!

We can choose who we keep company with and we are under no obligation to provide 'lists' OR'Papers' yet!!

We are not a police state as far as I am aware?!

So instead of attacking an association of Taxpayers who have the consistent support of the Majority of citizens[the vote numbers are a matter of public record] try focussing on the ISSUES!

Some of the points you raise I agree wholeheartedly with

In fact we both agree on the GVSC issue and had you attended the Taxpayers Public'Meeting on it you would have heard the debate on the ISSUE and the reasons why the vote to disband that bureacracy was unanimous and ahead of the politicians



It was an expression of a public meeting of taxpayers called by taxpayers for taxpayers-
THE ONLY NON 'SPECIAL INTEREST' GROUP in Vernon!

That is our right !

Those who keep attacking the Taxpayers'Association are on a hiding to nothing because the Taxpayers are mobilised and vigilant!

THAT should make you happy since you are not impressed by the 'big thinkers at Vernon City Hall'!

There is no 'sniping ' from the Taxpayers Association just an insistence for taxpayer participation in the ways our community will evolve and our tax dollars are spent

Anonymous said...

Oh please !..To hide behind the vail of the Charter of Rights is non-sense. Just why would a so called group of "legitimate" concerned people wanting to hold council accountable have to employ the Charter of Rights? That question begs to be asked by many, many people.

And let's set the record straight..People voted in the referendum to preclude council from borrowing money for the civic center..They never voted because they supported the Tax payers Association or their beliefs..I have had countless people tell me they have grown very tired of the Tax payers Association and definitely consider the "group" as a special interest group trying to control City Halls agenda.

I was one of the voters who voted NO in the referendum and I truly don't support the Taxpayers Assocation by virtue of the fact that they are NOT TRANSPARENT and OPEN about what and or who they are.

If the Vernon and District Tax Payers Association sincerely want to garner public support, then what is the concern with releasing your constitution and membership numbers. Hell, anyone can get the membership numbers from even the Masonic lodges, if they so desire.

By the way,if the Tax Payers want to truly find out their support they have within the community, why don't they have a mail out survey to the actual taxpayers of Vernon. To add credibility to the survey, have the surveys actually coded to avoid falsifying the numbers and see exactly what the public think of the Tax Payers.

And please don't insult the Canadian public by hiding behind the Charter of Rights.

Any legitmate and credible organization wanting to make a contribution to the community would welcome the opportunity to expose their constitution and be proud of the membership they have...So what's the Tax Payer's concern if they are truly legitimate and have the community and it's well being at heart...Could their be possibly an alternative agenda?

If you don't want to be looked upon as "Wing Nuts" (And I have to chuckle about the person who continually refers to himself / herself as Robin Hood- That goes a long way to the credibility factor of the Taxpayers Assoc...NOT !!)..instad of bitching about City Hall not being open and transparent.."Practise what you preach". I think everyone could agree..it's a pretty simple concept.

From all that I have read, there appears to be an agenda to putforth a slate of candidates for the upcoming municipal election supported by the Tax Payer Association...If that is the case, people in Coldstream will be quick to point out the excerise Coldstream undertook and three candidates with Coldstream Rate Payers made council..As a result, everyone has come to realize just how disfunctional that council became.

It's time to buck up and be open and transparent or shut up and quit being so darn critical about things.

It can't be hard for even the very few members of the Vernon and District Tax Payers Association to see you're loosing so much credibility by your negativity and lack of transparency.

Anonymous said...

To "anonymous":

Two thumbs up. I to am a Vernon tax payer and voted no in the referendum. I couldn't agree with you more, these people have lost any support I may have had for them.

Who the hell do they actually represent, I would like to know.

Anonymous said...

did you say'negativity"???

Indeed!

Do I note a great deal of anger here Re the Taxpayers association??!!
Tut tut
They must be doing something Right and you are obviously the 'special interests'!


Stick to the issues and do not be afraid to debate with ideas instead of trying to smear the good people of Vernon who associate as taxpayers to ensure NO MORE HARVEYS AND HIS FRIENDS!

RH

Anonymous said...

Interesting response..Still no real answers only poor deflections...I guess there really are issues of legitamacy as it relates to the intentions of the Vernon Tax Payers Association.

The upcoming election will indeed be interesting.

Anonymous said...

The Taxpayers 'Legitimacy' is beyond question with the citizens at large and your contributions are very poor 'deflections' and 'smears'!

You are obviously too preoccupied in attacking mindlessly a very strong taxpayer group of the citizenry
That will backfire if you try it on at the upcoming election

You are not interested in debate only in meaningless diatribe and putdown

Your number is well and truly understood


and yes the election will be more than just 'interesting' because the voters are mobilised and informed

For every one comment of your persuasion there are at least seven or eight in favour of the Taxpayers'Association positions on issues!

Anonymous said...

I also have reservations about the Vernon Taxpayers Association. I guess Im uniformed and yes, very insulted by the previous authors comments and it's something I will remember when November rolls around.

Im perplexed as to the previous author's comments. From a group representing the so called majority of voters and professing to endorse freedom of assembly and speech, it would appear that the Tax Payers association is becoming very sensitive to public scrutiny. Maybe as one of the authors noted, all they can do is snipe from the sidelines and have nothing substantitive to offer and maybe that is now being exposed.

Why would that be if they were so confident that they represent the majority. To the previous author, you need to adjust your medication if you think the voting population support the Tax Payers Association 7:1. Those comments are surely not evident in this blog.

Is the previous author insulting the voters who question the Vernon Tax Payers as being 'uninformed" ?

Im sure that's something the voting public would love to hear.

Anonymous said...

The comments on this blog are not any reflection of what is the reality and the November election will prove it

Also methinks that the two or three or one individual doth protest too much !!!?

So the taxpayers'Association is doing a darn good job

Do not be too concerned about 'the voting public' the taxpayers are 'the voting public'!!
signed--RH