At its' meeting of July 18th - The Cariboo Regional District Board of Directors' gave 1st, 2nd and 3rd Reading to Bylaw #4420 of 2008 (Central Cariboo Arts and Culture Service Establishment)
This bylaw will now be the subject of Public Consultation Meeting or Meetings in September to be lead by the Central Cariboo Arts Council. Depending upon the outcome of this Public Consultation Meetings, Bylaw #4420 could proceed to AAP (Alternative Approval Process) or counter-petition in October
As I recently stated in a letter to the Editor - I believe people will support Arts and Culture, where asked and people have an ability to do so, but at the same time, I don't think taxpayers' want to go down the road of supporting non-profit groups because they can't fundraise enough to support their programs. The only exception I make in this case would be for the local community halls, they are essentially to those who chose to live in rural areas. Otherwise, if you can't get the necessary revenue for your programs, then I guess you have some budgetary decisions to make. I guess the other thing is that it doesn't appear that other options were considered including:
1) Increasing the budget for Grants-in-Aides
2) Look at Fee-for-Service for the Local Arts Groups in the Central Cariboo
3) Increase Budget for individual Electoral Areas Opportunity Funds
Finally, I have a philosophical problem with a group that will be the beneficiaries of a new Function leading Public Consultation, this in my opinion is a blatant conflict of interest. Finally, as I already stated, farmers told CRD Directors' at their July 18th meeting that they can't afford any new taxes. For Director Duncan Barnett (Area 'F') to state publicly that he is sympathetic to their concerns and then agree to 3 readings of Bylaw #4420, given the local economic climate and especially given the fact that Director Barnett is a farmer himself, is at the absolute height of hypocrisy.
The only acceptable option for the Electors' of CRD Areas D, E, F and the City of Williams Lake is to request that this Bylaw be sent to Town Hall meetings in Areas D, E,F and the Joint Town Hall meeting in Williams Lake in January and February of 2009 so that people have a big picture of what their property taxes will look like come July 1st, 2009
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