A new proposal is on the table to solve the battle over water in Greater Vernon. Vernon Mayor Wayne Lippert has introduced on behalf of the city the idea of changing the structure of the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee where all voting would be at the NORD board on a weighted basis, based on population. Lippert says if approved by NORD, it would get rid of the arbitration process and plans for water devolution. I think the losers out of it would be lawyers (involved in arbitration), while the winners would be all the residents of Greater Vernon. It would settle this matter and let us truly focus on getting some things done for the citizens"
Lippert says under the plan, the city would hold 62 to 64 percent of the weighted vote."We have 15 votes, five per director. Coldstream has four for one director, and Electoral Areas B and C directors each have two." BX Silver Star director Mike Macnabb is positive about the idea but says it has a flaw. "There's perhaps an opportunity here to look at other ways of weighting the vote because in this case, Vernon would obviously take the vote every time. "Macnabb says in that case, agriculture would have no voice. He says other formulas could be looked at, based partly on population, consumption, and water licences. The Greater Vernon partners will discuss the idea further with NORD chairman Herman Halvorsen next week.
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