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Wednesday, May 15, 2013
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3202 29TH Street, Vernon • 250-545-0627
Corridor project stalled
VOTING FOR THE FUTURE
RICHARD ROLKE Morning Star Staff JENNIFER SMITH/ MORNING STAR
Nine-month-old Mya Micholuk takes in her first democratic experience with grandpa and grandma Jack and Lorna Sadler Tuesday as they cast their votes at the Vernon Japanese Cultural Centre. The results of Tuesday’s provincial election are available at www. vernonmorningstar.com
Council tackles core review reduced costs or generated new revenues in the order of $1.8 million,” he said. Reorganization of the City of Vernon is taking Among those are higher parking fees, a more time than expected. capital infrastructure levy and scrapping the Vernon council spent most of Communities in Bloom program. Monday poring over the core services Of the decisions made Monday, review and making decisions. However, council directed staff to find a way to the process wasn’t completed and counreduce the 17 advisory committees. cil will resume its discussions Thursday Among the issues to be discussed at 10:30 a.m. Thursday is possibly phasing out fund“Every department has had an ing for O’Keefe Ranch and returning opportunity to look at things. It’s been to the contract value of $10,000 which a valuable exercise for all of us,” said is specified in the agreement with the Cunningham Coun. Juliette Cunningham. ranch society. This year, the city is conThe review, which was conducted tributing $150,000. by KPMG, includes 113 options for Some proposals outlined by KPMG council to consider to reduce costs or increase are on hold because of other initiatives that are efficiencies. underway. Will Pearce, chief administrative officer, “They are the big ticket issues and the approinsists that 28 of the options have already been priate action is to let the processes proceed and acted upon. await their recommendations,” said Mayor Rob “Initiatives directed by council or otherwise Sawatzky. implemented by administration have either Items still requiring decisions are possibly RICHARD ROLKE
Morning Star Staff
scrapping the spray irrigation program and discharging treated effluent water into Okanagan Lake. “We are not abandoning the program yet. We are currently waiting to complete the liquid waste management plan,” said Coun. Mary-Jo O’Keefe. Other issues that still await decisions are reducing the scope of the transit service and reducing handyDart hours. Council discussed overall staffing levels in private Monday, but, according to KPMG, the city appears to be appropriately staffed when compared to similar-sized communities. “There are no large abnormalities that have to be dealt with in staffing,” said Sawatzky, who added, though, that some changes could occur. KPMG recommended that Vernon amalgamate with neighbouring jurisdictions to create efficiencies, but council has received that option for information only and no action will be taken. “It requires the co-operation of the community neighbours and the provincial government and we have neither,” said Sawatzky.
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A contentious road project has hit a speed bump in Vernon. City council decided Monday not to construct the Polson Greenway on 29th and 30th streets this year because tender pricing is higher Will Pearce than the budget. “We need to send industry the message that we will not build projects at any cost,” said Will Pearce, chief administrative officer. “We will build projects at reasonable costs.” The project between 41st and 43rd avenues has an approved budget of $1 million. However, nine tender packages were received and based on those, the price climbed to $1.5 million. The Polson Greenway, which is supposed to become an east-west commuter route, could proceed in 2014 but it will all depend on finances next year. Mayor Rob Sawatzky believes the project will eventually proceed. “It’s a high priority because of the state of the sewer (infrastructure),” he said. “We will have to deal with it at some point.” Coun. Bob Spiers welcomed Monday’s deferral for a project he has described as cosmetic. “I’m happy because I don’t want the process to go forward this year,” he said.
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