Coldstream’s mayor and council are disappointed in a recent ad run by the city of Vernon in The Morning Star that states the city is subsidizing its water-using neighbours to the tune of $3 million.
The ad claims Vernon is subsidizing neighbouring jurisdictions through its inclusion in the current water distribution arrangement.
“Vernon is arguing they’re subsidizing Coldstream and the electoral areas,” said Coldstream chief administrative officer Mike Stamhuis. “To call it a subsidy is fundamentally incorrect.”
Stamhuis says Vernon is making this claim based on calculations using the domestic water rate. But most of the water used in Coldstream and the electoral areas is for agricultural use which is a cheaper rate because it’s not chlorinated.
Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick says the information in the ad is misleading.
“They have to realize we’re talking about different sets of users here, agricultural versus domestic.”
Vernon Mayor Wayne Lippert is trying to avoid an arbitration process which has seen all parties involved hire legal counsel. He also bristles at accusations his ad message is not entirely accurate.
“From my point of view, anything that’s been held back has been from Coldstream and (electoral areas) B and C. We’ve always been forthcoming.”
Stamhuis disagrees.
“We don’t believe we’ve withheld anything because we haven’t been putting ads in the paper to tell our story. Vernon has taken this (legal) action so it’s hard for us to accept that we’re withholding information.”
Garlick believes a lot of the background information is not being taken into account in the decisions Vernon is currently making.
“What I think Vernon council’s problem is is they have a lot of people that weren’t involved in (the original process). Let’s set up a history lesson on how we got to where we are because the players have changed.”
Vernon originally proposed pulling out of the current water distribution plan which went into effect in 2003 after two years of compromising. The city’s latest offer is to shift voting on water from the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee to the North Okanagan Regional District board.
“I just want to take the politics out of it,” said Lippert. “The utility itself does work pretty well but the governance gets in the way and people’s egos.”
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That last paragraph is "PRICELESS"!
The ad claims Vernon is subsidizing neighbouring jurisdictions through its inclusion in the current water distribution arrangement.
“Vernon is arguing they’re subsidizing Coldstream and the electoral areas,” said Coldstream chief administrative officer Mike Stamhuis. “To call it a subsidy is fundamentally incorrect.”
Stamhuis says Vernon is making this claim based on calculations using the domestic water rate. But most of the water used in Coldstream and the electoral areas is for agricultural use which is a cheaper rate because it’s not chlorinated.
Coldstream Mayor Jim Garlick says the information in the ad is misleading.
“They have to realize we’re talking about different sets of users here, agricultural versus domestic.”
Vernon Mayor Wayne Lippert is trying to avoid an arbitration process which has seen all parties involved hire legal counsel. He also bristles at accusations his ad message is not entirely accurate.
“From my point of view, anything that’s been held back has been from Coldstream and (electoral areas) B and C. We’ve always been forthcoming.”
Stamhuis disagrees.
“We don’t believe we’ve withheld anything because we haven’t been putting ads in the paper to tell our story. Vernon has taken this (legal) action so it’s hard for us to accept that we’re withholding information.”
Garlick believes a lot of the background information is not being taken into account in the decisions Vernon is currently making.
“What I think Vernon council’s problem is is they have a lot of people that weren’t involved in (the original process). Let’s set up a history lesson on how we got to where we are because the players have changed.”
Vernon originally proposed pulling out of the current water distribution plan which went into effect in 2003 after two years of compromising. The city’s latest offer is to shift voting on water from the Greater Vernon Advisory Committee to the North Okanagan Regional District board.
“I just want to take the politics out of it,” said Lippert. “The utility itself does work pretty well but the governance gets in the way and people’s egos.”
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That last paragraph is "PRICELESS"!
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