Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: March 30, 2010 7:00 PM
It’s always easier to pin the blame on someone else than taking the time to look in your own backyard. Case in point is Coldstream council telling farmers to take their complaints over higher water rates to Vernon city hall. “You have the support of the council of Coldstream. You need to raise your concerns with them,” Coun. Richard Enns told Ted Osborn, agricultural community representative, recently. “It’s really the council of the City of Vernon that we need to convince. That’s where some of the pressure should go,” added Coun. Doug Dirk.
But what they neglect to point out is that every time the financial plan — including the nine per cent rate hike — went before the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee or the North Okanagan Regional District board, Coldstream’s representative raised his hand for it. Coun. Gyula Kiss has made numerous comments publicly and on his blog about the negative impact of the rate hike on customers and consumption levels. But when push came to shove, he still voted for farmers and residential customers paying more for water this coming year. When asked about his actions, Kiss said, “Water is only part of the budget. If I am the only one voting against, it’s like I’m grandstanding. You don’t want to do that.” But is it actually grandstanding when you express legitimate concerns on behalf of yourself and others? Did Kiss not find it unusual that he was raising the concerns of agricultural water customers at the March 17 NORD meeting and then, within minutes, was ensuring the budget was unanimously adopted?Yes Kiss’ one vote wouldn’t have stopped the budget from moving ahead, but it would have sent the message that higher water rates were unacceptable. Taking a stand sometimes means being the odd person out.
I also find it odd that Coldstream council is directing Osborn’s concerns specifically to Vernon council when it was the entire 13-member NORD board that approved the 2010 budget, including the higher water rates. The city only comprises three of the votes there. Along with the city representatives and Kiss, the other Greater Vernon politicians that backed the nine per cent hike were electoral area directors Mike Gavinchuk and Mike Macnabb. If questions should be directed towards anyone, it should be the two Mikes who represent the largely agricultural BX, and Kiss, who comes from Rural Living At Its Best. It’s them, not the boys from the big city, who departed significantly from the interest of agricultural customers.
And that situation wasn’t lost on Osborn. “Areas B, C and Coldstream went along with it. It leaves a very bad taste,” he said after the March 17 meeting.Ultimately, I’m left wondering if Coldstream councillors have a true picture of what went on at the regional meetings or if they are just trying to dodge the controversy by redirecting the blame.
2 comments:
Talk about pointing blame, Richard!
Unlike most, I have actually read every page, of all 16 working papers, of the Master Water Plan.
There is absolutely NOTHING in the plan that prevents rate hikes for farmers, or for anyone else.
The ONLY guarantee is that agricultural rates will be competitive with rates throughout the valley.
The Master Water Plan presents a variety of options for system separation, which seems to be the ONLY WAY to ensure farmers will receive a rate-break and the water quantity/pressure they need.
The more quickly we separate, the faster we can improve quantity and pressure concerns for farmers.
Voting against the rate increase is not going to make separation take place any sooner.
My question is: Why isn't anyone championing the cause of separation?
If Mr. Osborn feels so strongly about agriculture that he wants to stop farm rates from increasing, he should be championing separation as the FINAL solution.
Until we have achieved full separation, we must continue to treat ALL the water, thereby wasting untold $$$ millions each year piping perfectly treated drinking water to irrigation/agriculture.
And here's another fact you won't find in the Morning Star:
On March 22, VERNON Council approved rate increases of 20% for IRRIGATION WATER for agriculture (from the McKay reservoir and the City's reclaimed water utility). ... Almost makes that 9% seem reasonable!
It is time for an open inquiry into Greater Vernon Water-the name is so misleading-it should be Poorer Vernon Water.There is no effective management via the beaurocrats at the Regional District and the politicians don't have a clue. All taxpayers are being hurt.
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