The following excerpts were taken from the Vernon Blog as presented by Don Quixote.
Facilitating services for four jurisdictions (Vernon, Coldstream Areas B and C).
Be a scapegoat for those same jurisdictions.
Many people in Coldstream and Areas B and C would be quite happy if Vernon took over those services. After all Coldstream is contributing $1,886,235 annually, according to above list. However, if those services were not going through NORD as a Function with the four jurisdictions cooperating, the entire bill would have to be absorbed by Vernon. Coldstream could use the above funds for its own parks and recreation services.
The main point here is that the four jurisdictions agreed to form the function through NORD and all participants contribute equally on an assessment basis. Only the six Directors who form the Committee (3 from Vernon with 14 votes, 1 each from Coldstream, B and C with a total of 9 votes) participate in voting on financial matters. It is obvious that Vernon controls the purse strings as Coldstream and the B and C only have 9 votes. The rest of the NORD Board members (13 in all) only vote on the approval of borrowing and taxation as these powers cannot be delegated by the Corporate Board. It’s a rubber stamp procedure, the decisions on the mill rate of taxation or amounts of borrowing are made by the 6 participants.
This is where NORD’s other function (being the goat) comes in handy. Politicians like to blame NORD for decisions made by them in those committees. They blame NORD for the taxes that were actually approved in committees by politicians sitting on those committees.
Vernon always wanted goodwill from Coldstream and Areas B and C. The disagreements usually came when the rest of these jurisdictions expected reciprocation of goodwill. Perhaps the most glaring example of this lack of goodwill came when Coldstream requested conversion of Duteau Creek water on Middleton Mountain to Kalamalka Lake water and the request was voted down by Vernon. Cooperation should be a two way street!
NORD is what the participants make of it, nothing more, nothing less. Every taxpayer in these Functions pay the same mill rate, thus there is no reason to cry foul. The exact amount each property owner pays is controlled by the assessor.
Lastly, there is a process to leave the function and if politicians are not satisfied with the arrangement they can always pull out as Vernon has just done with part of Greater Vernon Water.
That is more or less the full story in a nutshell.
Don Quixote Note: As an illustration of the amount of money that would be removed from the control of NORD if Vernon took over the Parks and Recreation Service: (These figures were taken from a spreadsheet titled 2008 'Analysis of changes in the City of Vernon Requisition')Two of the more important functions of NORD appears to be
60 (IMP.) Recreation Area #1 $7,252,536
Vernon $4,794,697, Coldstream $1,276,328, Area B $586,489 Area C $595,022
62(IMP) Multi Use Facility $2,246,200
Vernon $1,484,976 , Coldstream $395,295, Area B $181,643 Area C $184,286
66 (IMP) Community Theatre $1,219,500
Vernon $806,219 , Coldstream $214,612, Area B $98,617 Area C $100,052
The total amount of these 3 services for the 4 ex GVSC Participants are $10,718,236 and represent 62 % of the 2008 NORD Requisition (taxes) of $17,278,442.
Vernon's share of $7,085,892 represent 75.67% of Vernon's share of the 2008 NORD Requisition (taxes) of $9,364,415.
Facilitating services for four jurisdictions (Vernon, Coldstream Areas B and C).
Be a scapegoat for those same jurisdictions.
Many people in Coldstream and Areas B and C would be quite happy if Vernon took over those services. After all Coldstream is contributing $1,886,235 annually, according to above list. However, if those services were not going through NORD as a Function with the four jurisdictions cooperating, the entire bill would have to be absorbed by Vernon. Coldstream could use the above funds for its own parks and recreation services.
The main point here is that the four jurisdictions agreed to form the function through NORD and all participants contribute equally on an assessment basis. Only the six Directors who form the Committee (3 from Vernon with 14 votes, 1 each from Coldstream, B and C with a total of 9 votes) participate in voting on financial matters. It is obvious that Vernon controls the purse strings as Coldstream and the B and C only have 9 votes. The rest of the NORD Board members (13 in all) only vote on the approval of borrowing and taxation as these powers cannot be delegated by the Corporate Board. It’s a rubber stamp procedure, the decisions on the mill rate of taxation or amounts of borrowing are made by the 6 participants.
This is where NORD’s other function (being the goat) comes in handy. Politicians like to blame NORD for decisions made by them in those committees. They blame NORD for the taxes that were actually approved in committees by politicians sitting on those committees.
Vernon always wanted goodwill from Coldstream and Areas B and C. The disagreements usually came when the rest of these jurisdictions expected reciprocation of goodwill. Perhaps the most glaring example of this lack of goodwill came when Coldstream requested conversion of Duteau Creek water on Middleton Mountain to Kalamalka Lake water and the request was voted down by Vernon. Cooperation should be a two way street!
NORD is what the participants make of it, nothing more, nothing less. Every taxpayer in these Functions pay the same mill rate, thus there is no reason to cry foul. The exact amount each property owner pays is controlled by the assessor.
Lastly, there is a process to leave the function and if politicians are not satisfied with the arrangement they can always pull out as Vernon has just done with part of Greater Vernon Water.
That is more or less the full story in a nutshell.
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3 comments:
What I actually was suggesting in my article Westside takes over utility billing at http://vernonblog.blogspot.com/2008/09/westside-takes-over-utility-billing.html
was that all major municipalities and especially ones that Vernon uses to measure themselves against all control and run their own Park and Recreational areas. When my CFO gives me a comparison of municipal tax rates on these benchmark cities then Vernon's rates must be adjusted to include the Parks and rec. functions that come from NORD.
As to the Coldstreamers argue about the setup of NORD, I would agree with his description if the method of using 'stakeholder votes' to deal with financial manners was used 100% of the time. If the actual budget which is the decision to tax those people you supposedly represent was passed on a function by function basis only by the stakeholders involved then the NORD system would have validity and meaning.
Ask the NORD Administrator and the NORD Chairman to confirm that only stakeholders can vote on a financial matter and get them to describe their definition of a 'financial manner' and then we'll debate some more.(Get it in writing).
As a taxpayer I have one other objection that is independent of the NORD way of handling things that cost me money and that is my representation on the Board. I have no objections when non residents are allowed to run and win in my little town. Let them run openly as such and more power to them if they get enough votes to win. However, when they are suppose to represent the taxpayer of Vernon at NORD I want only people who are affected by their decisions to sit on that board. That could include a nonresident who owns a business in Vernon but would exclude ever appointing any one else who had no dog in the fight.
Excluding the possibility of voting for a non resident for Council or Mayor would stop the possibility of Stephen Hawking or our present Mayor from being elected and seated but with all due respect to Hawking, he will never get to sit at a NORD board if I had my druthers.
By the way the administration costs under Gen. Government are $327,416 for Vernon, and S84,598 for Coldstream. The Greater Vernon Gov. costs a further $87,706 for Vernon and $22,661 for Coldstream.
That is almost 3% on your taxes for administration alone, a task that might better be done by Coldstream's extremely capable present administrator?
Enjoy the blog. Keep on stirring up things.
"That is almost 3% on your taxes for administration alone, a task that might better be done by Coldstream's extremely capable present administrator?"
You're pulling my leg!?
The capability of the Coldstream administrator is best left to the analysis of those who pay her salary,the Coldstream Taxpayers.
Sarcasm, cynicism and hopefully humour are what I use when I describe Bureacrabic incompetency or impotence. You can decide which of those I was using. Just stirring up shit.
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