Peter McIntyre Thursday, 11 March 2010 16:54 107.5 KISSFM:
Greater Vernon's agricultural sector doesn't think its fair that their water rates are going up by the same amount as residential customers. NORD is planning to boost fees by nine percent to all users which would add $19 to the annual $212 flat rate farmers pay, per hectare. Ted Osborn, the agricultural rep on the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee, says their industry is not required to pay for upgrades that involve water quality. "We're saying in this context, if we're going to have an increase, then is that increase warranted in terms of service provided to agriculture, and we're saying a quality enhancement has no benefit to agriculture." Osborn says under the master water plan, farmers are only required to pay for water upgrades involving quantity and pressure. GVAC chair Wayne Lippert feels the industry is being treated fairly. He tells Kiss FM, "Nobody likes increases and I know the agricultural industry is hurting, but so are a lot of other industries." It may be too late to change the rate for this year, but NORD staff will be looking into the concern.
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Water Catch 22 Peter McIntyre Thursday, 11 March 2010 17:09 107.5 KISSFM
Local politicians are facing a Catch 22 when it comes to possible water shortages this year.Coldstream GVAC director Gyula Kiss is concerned about a big drop in revenue if tougher water restrictions are implemented in conjunction with the higher water rates. He says the end result could be a two million dollar deficit in the water budget. NORD staff will prepare a report on alternate funding sources for water upgrades. Kiss would like to see them tied to taxation, rather than water fees. Director Doug Dirk agrees there needs to be a better way to recover costs, if there's a drought.
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