Readers Write - Sparkle -- Invitation!

Hello All,

Dave Facey, new member of the SPrKL (Society for the Protection of Kalamalka Lake) executive and resident of Kekuli Bay Estates recently brought the matter of a proposed compost facility to be developed above the present landfill (the dump) to SPrKL's attention. Dave and his neighbours have experienced the unpleasant odours coming from the nearby Biosolids Plant, hence they are concerned that the same problem may arise if a compost plant were to be developed above the dump. Further, residents in the west side of Coldstream may well be affected by possible odours carried from the proposed facility by the prevailing winds.

SPrKL is concerned not only about a possible odour problem affecting Coldstream residents, but more so about the possibility of leachate from the proposed composting process finding its way into Kalamalka Lake. Is the top of a hill between two lakes an appropriate place for a composting plant?

I have attached the invitation that was sent to Dave and his neighbours, and I will fwd the information about the proposed composting plant in another email to follow shortly.

Please attend the meeting tomorrow evening, Thursday November 25th from 7 to 9pm at the Regional District (NORD) office on the corner of Aberdeen Rd and Hwy 6 to find out more about the proposal, raise any concerns, and ask questions.

Louise Christie

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Special Council Meeting

This will be the meeting where the 2011 sewer rates are passed into a bylaw. Review the agenda package.

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Important information for water customers, Kalamalka east supply.

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Sewer rate calculations.

Please visit the sewer rate calculator using 4 different options being considered by Council at the Special Council Meeting on Thursday at 5:00 PM.

Special instructions: Option 3 has a base rate of $120.60 up to 30 m3. Additional usage will show up in the calculator. Just insert your first quarter water consumption where the blue number is displayed and you can read the appropriate rates below.

The major differences show up at high consumption and at low consumption. They are similar in mid range. If you insert your last year's first quarter values you can compare the rates as they were in 2010 and what those same values would look like in any of the four options.

Comments, as always, are welcome.

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Help! Help!

Hello Everyone

Please help me out! Council is reviewing various options for collecting sewer revenues to cover operation and maintenance of the service. I need as many answers as possible to determine the effect of various sewage fees on customers.

What I need is the first quarter water consumption from as many residents as possible to get a handle of the average sewage produced by households. If you know your first quarter water consumption please send it to me directly. If not please send me your Sewer fee with the date of the bill and I can calculate it.

This is what I need: Check out the attached sample bill and send me the info indicated from your own bill.

This would help me in assessing how various sewer rate alternatives would affect sewer customers. I need this info ASAP. This info may help in setting next year's sewage rates.

Email me the information: gyula1@shaw.ca

Thank you in advance.

Gyula

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Council Meeting, November 22, 2010 - Budget debate.

Some debate is expected as to which option should be adopted by Council. The options presented by the Finance Director are shown on the white table. Council recommended Option 1b. This option would actually charge $3.48 for the first 15 cubic meters and then would sell the rest of the cubic meters at a bargain price of $1.74 (two tier system). Unfair for low users as they would subsidize heavy users. It also contains a very high tax component: about 67% of the base fee is tax.

Option two proposes an access fee of $25 per quarter (this is the tax component it would include an amortization charge of $18) and the rest of the costs would be divided by the total sewage sold to customers based on the first quarter water use (the actual cost per cubic meter is $3.28).

As the per household usage is estimated through water use absentee residents who use no water in the first quarter would escape payment. To ensure that those residents also contribute a reasonable sum a 15 cubic meter (another option contemplates 20 m3) mandatory usage fee is incorporated in the base fee. Those using 15 m3 or less quarterly would pay no additional fees. Those exceeding the base volume would be charged the going rate for the additional volumes.

This is very similar to the rate system the city charges except for the fact that our expenses are higher due to the operation and maintenance of our collection system in addition to the treatment and disposal charges levied by the city. The City's sewer rate is based on a twenty m3 base fee at $2.45 per m3 and additional volumes are charged at the same rate. Anyone interested in the debate is welcome to come.

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Selected Articles - Morning Star News - A review.

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Okanagan Symphony presentation.

Gettin' Dizzy: Don't miss this fantastic show Sunday night( Nov. 21st) at 7:00 pm in Vernon ( at Vernon Performing Arts Centre). The Okanagan Symphony is bringing special guest Mike Herriott Trumpet virtuoso.

Please Come, you will love it! Bring friends, special prices for high school students eyego tickets $5,Tickets at Ticket Seller 250-549-7469

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Thanks for the memories! Courtesy Craig Broderick.

Here are a couple of shots of the demolition of the oldest part of the Coldstream Elementary School.

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Grid Road progress photos - Phase 2 excavation for railroad underpass.

First phase is well advanced: road paved, sidewalk-bicycle path are being prepared for paving.

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Finance Committee Meetings, November15, 2010.

A reminder for those interested: sewer rates for 2011 will be discussed!

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Photo Gallery -- Coyote hunting on Coldstream Creek Road. Courtesy: Debbie Gibson.

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Selected Articles - Morning Star News

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I have assembled a partial review of the proceedings relating to the Parks Review. Note that for all appearances City negotiators were on side most of the way. It was a surprise to Coldstream Council members to see the negotiations suddenly going astray. I apologize for the quality of the document but it took a lot of manipulation to bring all those documents together. To access the document please click on Parks Review and download the document.

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Finance Committee Meetings, November15, 2010.

A reminder for those interested: sewer rates for 2011 will be discussed!

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Selected Articles - Morning Star News

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Parks and Recreation negotiations clarified.

The electoral Area's Directors and Coldstream Council released their position papers on the Parks negotiation prior to the November 9th joint meeting. The documents are attached below.

There are two major concerns for Coldstream:

1. Taking over operation and maintenance of sub regional parks within the boundaries of Coldstream, and

2. Ensuring that one jurisdiction cannot dictate to the rest of the jurisdictions (the governance issue).

Coldstream Council's major concern with the governance issue is that following the next census Vernon might get an extra vote and with their majority they can make financial decisions that would drag Coldstream into expansion of facilities, and consequently into greater financial expenditures, without their consent.

In the past Vernon demonstrated dictatorial tendencies in negotiations. The original sewer agreement in the mid 70's were quite amicable since Vernon was desperate for Coldstream's support in securing the necessary funds for the new sewer plant and spray irrigation system.

Years later the contract was up for negotiations and Vernon refused to negotiate the contract renewal under the same terms. They eventually went to court requesting an injunction to prevent further connections to the sewer system by developers in Coldstream.

Vernon insisted that Coldstream did not pay enough for policing, although Coldstream satisfied legislated requirements. They demanded an escalating extra policing cost to0 be included in the contract starting from $40,000 and increasing to $200,000 plus cost of living increases. The majority of Council eventually voted to accept the contract not wanting to go to court. Sometimes it is better to settle contentious issues in court once and for all.

Another example of muscle flexing was in the late 90's when a developer's offer to build a multiplex in Coldstream was rejected by Vernon (the Electoral Areas were not supportive either). The developer would have built and operated the twin ice sheet facility, one of which with 2,000 seats, at his own expense and only requested GVPRD to purchase $500,000 worth of ice time a year . That ice time could have been sold at reduced rates to minor hockey.

Lastly I point out the change of heart by Vernon with regards to Greater Vernon Water, specifically their demand to withdraw from the distribution system. That would increase water rates in Coldstream and the Electoral Areas and significantly reduce the rates in the City.

These are my reasons to insist on a fair resolution of the parks review. I believe we must ensure that Coldstream taxpayers get a fair deal and in the future.

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Clearing up the confusion about the increase in sewer rates.

There is some confusion about the sewer fee increases in the last Coldstream's sewer utility bill that needs to be clarified. I will attempt to do so.

When we received the first quarter bill from the city of Vernon on May 3rd we had a surprise. The bill was approximately $150,000 higher than expected.

The short fall was the result of two factors: the increase in the cost of treatment and disposal of sewage from $1.26 to $1.54 per cubic meter (cu m) and the increased volume from the expected 100,000 cu m to 180,000 cu m
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This increase, along with the expected increase for the remaining three quarters, would have resulted in a major shortfall in our sewer budget and the Director of Finance brought the issue to Council with recommendations to remedy the problem. His recommended solutions were:

1. to cover the shortfall from the sewer reserves which were just enough to cover it with little reserves remaining, or

2. to cover half the shortfall from reserves the other half from extra billing customers, or

3. to cover all of the shortfall from directly billing it to customers.

The majority of Council opted for option 2 above resulting in the third quarter increase in the sewer bill. In order to make the increase legal Council had to approve an amendment to the Sewer Rates Bylaw.

In the meantime staff succeeded in negotiating an amendment to the obviously faulty sewer volume reading of 180,000 cu m resulting in a $118,000 credit by the City. This reduced our budgetary deficit from about $300,000 to $180,000.

In order to prevent future problems resulting from faulty meter reading Coldstream intends to install a second meter that would ensure double checking of sewage flows. This meter installation would cost about $20,000. Deducting this cost from the $118,000 would leave about $100,000 credit. The question is how should Council divide this credit received? Should we divide it equally between the reserve and the customers or should we credit the entire sum to customers leaving the reserves with a shortfall of about $150,000?

These alternatives will be discussed by Council at the next Finance Committee meeting on the 15th of November. Everyone is welcome to attend Finance Committee meetings. If you wish you could express your preference with an email to me or to Council. I would also welcome any questions.

Gyula Kiss
Councillor

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Some more thoughts on garbage.

Back in July I promised to discuss further the issues relating to garbage. It is budget time for local governments so I can no longer procrastinate about this important issue.

During the 1990's when I was on the NORD Board I was also member of the Waste Management Committee. This Committee was responsible for the management and planning for waste management. One important policy dictated by the Ministry of Environment at that time was to set aside funds for the closing of the Landfill site at the end of its usefulness. Closing procedures are very elaborate and require large sums of money. Recent estimates run at $25 million. By the end of 1999 there were about $3 million in the reserve account. Unfortunately, the money seems to have been used for other purposes between 1999 and 2009.

Whatever happened to those funds is of little consequence: the fact is that monies are needed to operate the landfill and for the closure of it when it is filled. My concern is how these monies are collected.

The city of Vernon collects the funds through mandatory garbage collection fees. For the quarterly fees each household is permitted to dispose of up to two bags of garbage each week. Coldstream was urged to use the same system. I consider this system totally unfair. Here is why.

We all purchase our garbage as it is part of the our goods we purchase. Obviously, the more one purchases, the more one pays. So why should we pay the same for the disposal of that garbage regardless of how much it is? Some households may dispose of one bag of garbage a month, while others religiously dispose the maximum two bags a week.

The fair system would be to pay for what we contribute, the user pay system. We need to set a fair access fee and beyond that we should pay an appropriate rate for each bag at the curb side. This would be fair to all and it would also encourage reduction of the waste stream. If one has to pay a per bag fee one would be more inclined to remove the recyclables from the garbage ensuring a longer life for the landfill.

Increased garbage fees are inevitable. What we must do is to make sure that the fee structure is fair to all.

Your comments, as always are welcome.

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