Support for the project is unanimous.
Support for the project’s process? Not so much.
Regional District of North Okanagan directors unanimously agreed to look into drafting a service establishment and loan authorization bylaw at the request of Vernon Search and Rescue, who are looking for RDNO to borrow $3.5 million for land and property for a new facility as they’ve outgrown their existing Coldstream facility, right beside the RDNO office.
Consent for the borrowing would come from the electorate and VSAR has requested RDNO go the alternate approval process route, which means 10 per cent of the electorate would have to vote against borrowing the money to defeat it. If that were to happen, directors could then vote to go to a more costly, area-wide referendum.
RELATED: Search and rescue seeks building funds
Vernon director Brian Quiring motioned to provide directors with one option: an area-wide alternate approval process. Several directors from member jurisdictions with councils argued they couldn’t vote without taking the issue back to their council colleagues for discussion.
Quiring’s motion ended in a tie, 7-7, meaning it was defeated at the table.
“I’m trying to avoid them (VSAR) going out to each jurisdiciton and have them make a presentation. It’s time consuming,” said Quiring. “I’d rather have them on their skis and quads than appearing before council. I’m just trying to streamline the process.”
Directors Doug Dirk (Coldstream), Shirley Fowler (Armstrong), Catherine Lord and Juliette Cunningham (Vernon), Kevin Acton (Lumby), Janice Brown (Spallumcheen) and board chairperson Bob Fleming (Electoral Area B BX-Swan Lake) voted against Quiring’s motion.
“Without having the opportonity to report back (to my council), I can’t vote affirmative,” said Dirk. “In general, we have been not supportive of negative option voting.”
“We do want to have good support around our tables and if we try as individual directors here to short circuit that, it’s not going to serve us well in getting everybody on board,” added Cunningham. “I’m pretty confident that my council is 100 per cent in support of search and rescue. I don’t think anybody would argue it’s not a good service. But I’d like to give our other colleagues a chance to weigh in on this.”
The regional district provides a grant service to VSAR but that excludes a provision of entering into debt. The current request would be to establish a second service.
“This is solely for the acquisition of a search and rescue building,” said RDNO administrator David Sewell.
If the alternate approval process is chosen and successful, the regional district would own the building and land, but Sewell said RDNO would take a “hands-off” approach to ownership.
A dozen Vernon Search and Rescue volunteers were in the gallery to watch the proceedings.
“I think it’s good. It’s what we’re expecting,” said director Mark Forsyth of the board’s support for their request. “They made motions that sounds like staff has been directed to come back with more information and they’ll make a decision. We’ve got good support, that’s what we really heard in there and that’s excellent.”
VSAR owns and operates its current facility, but, ideally, would like to have a 9,200 square foot facility to store all of their equipment, be centrally located and with highway access. They also have close to $200,000 of their own through fundraising to contribute to the project.
roger@vernonmorningstar.com
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