Local charity left in limbo

 By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: September 09, 2012 1:00 AM
A group’s bid for funding is being tossed around. The Greater Vernon Advisory Committee has turned down the Upper Room Mission’s request for $9,200 and the matter has been referred to the Regional District of North Okanagan board. But the RDNO board decided in August not to discuss the request and it was sent to GVAC for further review. “It’s didn’t belong here,” said director Bob Spiers of why GVAC opted not to get involved. The Upper Room Mission wants the fee waived for a water main upgrade to its downtown Vernon facility, which provides meals and programs to people in need. “It’s a worthwhile project but it doesn’t fit into parks and recreation or the water service,” administrator Trafford Hall said of GVAC’s mandate. “We don’t have a function for charitable donations.” The RDNO board will be asked to consider the request, but directors there have previously been opposed to providing community grants. “We have the legal authority to give grants in aid but we need to have a budget,” said David Sewell, finance general manager, adding that member municipalities have not directed money to such a use. The Upper Room Mission says the $9,200 fee should be waived because of limited financial resources. “The mission provides support for individuals and families from all parts of the North Okanagan,” said Jake Spoor, URM chairperson. “We survive on donations and the sale of donated items. We receive neither fixed funding nor are we requesting any from any level of government. I believe that in our 30 years of operation, we have never requested any grant from the district.”
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Don Quixote Note: The GVAC committee was asked to waive the fee for the water main upgrade of $9200 and voted not to do so as "The RDNO does not as a policy forgive its fees as a means to providing indirect grant funding to groups" .

According to the staff report P.90-92 Agenda   "The Miscellaneous Grant Function is supported by all members of the RDNO and is therefore the appropriate funding source." Waiving the fee would have been borne by the water customer through rates in Vernon, Coldstream and Areas B & C  rather than the taxpayers of the various communities and Areas that the Mission actually serves.

Consequently I put a motion forward that it be sent back to the full RDNO Board for consideration as a grant and this was passed.Whether they will approve it will be decided at that table. The EA's have a small grant function set up but the municipalities have chosen not to do fund their function.
(Vernon taxpayers did fund a Grant for the Mission's new flooring last year of $10,877)  (P.30 2011 - 9.46 MB) through their discretionary Grant Fund. The Upper Room Mission also gets a permissive tax exemption of  approx. 4,699.58 (p.21) of the Vernon Property Taxes.