City wants out of Sterile Insect Release

Roger Knox - Vernon Morning Star Published: January 30, 2010 12:00 PM

For now, the City of Armstrong remains a participant in a valley-wide Sterile Insect Release (SIR) program. However, the city wants to be released from the function. Council advised staff at its regular meeting Monday to provide notice of its intent to withdraw from the service. “We want to opt out of the function,” said Mayor Chris Pieper. “It won’t take place this year, because we’re in for this year, but we hope we can go out next year.” The notice comes following a North Okanagan Regional District service review of the SIR. Because Armstrong is still listed as a participant, its costs have gone back up to prior years’ levels because latecomers to the service have been allowed to withdraw. The city is dissatisfied with the outcome of the review, saying the study focused on the participation of the regional district in the regional service, rather than on which participants within NORD would participate. “Our rate’s gone back up to about $12,000 a year, and there are no commercial orchards at all within Armstrong, so why be in it?” questioned Pieper. In its notice of intent to withdraw, as a support to the farming community that surrounds it, the city would consider a grant for the SIR program from its general revenue.

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From a Sterile insect program continues post of May 10 2008.

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.

From a Nov 14 ,2008 Post:

Vernon Taxpayers Paid $ 206,186 for this S.I.R. Service in 2008. Coldstream paid $82,200 in 2008. The total paid by all NORD participants was $311,301. Vernon Paid 66% of the total NORD bill with Coldstream contributing 26%.Armstrong and Spall contributed small amounts totaling less than 7% with the remaining 1% coming from Areas D, and F.