The city of Vernon is keeping its options open when it comes to funding the Okanagan Film Commission.Mayor Wayne Lippert says the city has withdrawn its notice to pull out of the NORD function the end of this year, but issued notice to withdraw at the end of 2010.The mayor tels KISS FM, "The motion is doing two things. It's giving notice to the film commission that the city of Vernon does support them. I think in all fairness it's trying to make sure the funding is there at least from the city of Vernon's side of things. Lippert says the motion also recognizes NORD has had issues with some of its functions. He notes NORD has 69 functions when many other regional districts only have ten. The mayor says the city provided $20,000 of the $35,000 NORD granted the film commission last year. The commission works to attract film and TV productions to the valley.
1 comment:
Mayor Lippert should check his facts. Show me any regional district with only 10 services!
I certainly can agree that our RD has some issues...
RD's have 3 mandates:
1. local government for rural (unincorporated) areas
2. sub-regional services (e.g. Greater Vernon water)
3. regional services (e.g. region-wide solid waste & recycling)
The RD does not necessarily operate each and every one of these services on its own. Many services are contracted out, in certain notable cases to municipal partners such as the City of Vernon (eg. GV parks & rec, GV water).
RD's are funding arrangements that allow a variety of willing partners (i.e. municipalities or electoral areas - or parts thereof - within the RD boundary) to pool funding to offer services to residents.
Last year the RD provided $35K to the Film Commission, of which $20K was apportioned to Vernon. The remaining $15K came from the other partners in that particular funding arrangement.
So, what is your beef, Mayor Lippert? Shouldn't Vernon pay its share? We have nearly 50% of the population in the RD. Isn't it fair that everyone pays their share?
Mayor Lippert, if you pull out of this regional function, you will only wind up costing taxpayers more, while negatively impacting the Film Commission.
Now the Film Commission will be forced to spend its precious time and resources preparing for and attending council meetings up and down our region in hopes of attracting some meager funding, when one regional board meeting could have sufficed.
As a Vernon taxpayer (and I realize I am referring to myself, not the Mayor), I implore you to work together with your regional counterparts to examine how the RD actually saves Vernon taxpayers money.
P.S. REALITY CHECK: We are talking about $20K here. Is this really worth a fight? The City of Vernon just agreed to spend 10 times that much on LANDSCAPING along a highway... to be maintained by Mr. Gavinchuk's $500 per year (!!!)
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