Glenn Mitchell - Vernon Morning Star Published: February 13, 2009 4:00 PM
Hands up everyone who thinks the integration (I love that word) of fire protection taxes for Okanagan Landing and Vernon residents isn't the first step towards the end of the volunteer hall. Not so fast, grasshopper. City staff, and some councillors, will tell you it's just "making everyone in the city pay the same for fire services." The words belong to Coun. Mary-Jo O'Keefe. And she's got a point, but she's missing the big picture. Or at least what this will inevitably lead to. You see, city staff claim that tax integration will address the rest of the city subsidizing the Landing $489,000 a year for non-suppression services like medical first responders. OK.
And, to come clean, I live in the Landing so this is going to cost me $80 more this year than last year. But that's not why I'm upset. OK, I'm lying, it's part of it, but I think there was some information missing, or at least overlooked, at Monday's council meeting when this decision was made. The claim is that yours truly, a real life Landing citizen, has been 'subsidized' by the rest of the city all these years. Well, I'm not a charity case and I'm fine with paying my way (unless I can legally find a way not to, hey, money's tight these days) but the city is only telling half the story – that would be their side. Yeah, I know, I live in the city as well as the Landing but you know what I mean. Let me explain what wasn't talked about.
You see in the Landing I'm being serviced by a fire hall completely run and manned by volunteers. And I'm fine with that. They've done a great job for decades now and will continue to do so this year as well. However, beginning this year, I'll pay more for that same service. This is where the city says that I was unfairly being subsidized all these years without me knowing it. Well, thanks but........did I mention that my area was being covered by a volunteer hall? You see, what didn't get as much as a mention for some reason, is that by covering a pretty big area with volunteers the Landing residents have willingly saved the city, oh I don't know, but a heck of a lot more than $489,000 a year. Who's subsiding whom? And that's not even my main point, OK it's part of it. The Landing was paying less for fire protection services for a reason, it was a trade-off for having a volunteer hall. Now, some councillors rightfully argued that the Landing is in the city and should be treated the same as everyone else, thus the same fire protection tax rate as everyone else. OK, except thanks to council's decision, the Landing is now paying the same but receiving a different service, i.e. fire protection that they are fine with but that now 'subsidizes' the rest of the city, with no tax break. Hmmm, how long do you think that turn of events will last?
My guess is that city staff is likely to recommend next year at this time that the Landing is paying the same as everyone else so they should be serviced in the same manner, by professional firefighters. And that, I guess, is OK (except all our taxes likely go up again). I think that when the Landing voted to amalgamate in 1993 it was likely inevitable that all of Vernon would one day be covered by professional firefighters (who it should be noted I have the utmost respect for as well), and it does make sense on many levels. However, what I'm not OK with is city staff and councillors claiming this integration of taxes has nothing to do with the eventual merging of the two halls. Common sense, and a reality check, say otherwise.
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