Mayor Cook & Thursday's CRD Policy Meeting

At the December 15th, 2009 meeting of Williams Lake City Council, Mayor Cook was appointed as Cariboo Regional District (CRD) Director for Williams Lake for the 2009/2010 term with Councillors Sue Zacharias and Surinder Rathor to act as Alternate Directors, in the absence of Mayor Cook.

On Thursday, June 10th, 2010 from 12:30pm to 4:30pm – the CRD Board of Directors’ held a “Policy Session” in Forest Grove, BC to discuss 11 topics of which 6 had potential or actual financial impacts to the City of Williams Lake taxpayers’.

One such impact is how costs to taxpayers' are dealt with, with regard to CRD Directors' costs. The new formula distributes costs equally to ensure all 16 Directors' (12 Electoral Areas and the 4 Muncipal Directors - Wells, Quesnel, Williams Lake and 100 Mile) can attend CRD Board meetings.

1 fundamental problem I have is that I shouldn't have to pay for Wells, Quesnel or 100 Mile's Director to attend a Board meeting. If they can't attend due to costs, then that is a problem for them to resolve and not all taxpayers' in the Cariboo-Chilcotin and due to Mayor Cook's and Councillors' Zacharias & Rathor's absence, Williams Lake taxpayers' interests were not properly defended.

Again - With 3 people from Williams Lake Council duly authorized to attend the CRD Board representing the City of Williams Lake, surely Mayor Cook could have ensured that either herself or one of her two Councillors' be in attendance at this meeting. This, in spite of the fact that CRD 100 Mile House Director Mitch Campsall asked for and received permission to delay discussion of the governance costs for CRD Directors for almost 3 hours to wait until the Municipal Directors showed up. The governance costs were then debated with 3 of the 4 Municipal Directors (Wells, Quesnel and 100 Mile Directors in the room)

Finally - 100 Mile House Director Mitch Campsall said this during discussions on governance costs for CRD Directors':

"Williams Lake, no matter what, still wins"

I took that as code for - "Williams Lake and its' taxpayers' get preferential treatment"

Again - without a elected official from Williams Lake at the CRD Board table, Mayor Campsall was able to get away with it. I believe the former model was the most appropriate one and those who are whining should suck it up. If Wells can't attend a CRD Board meeting, then that's their problem. They made a decision to incorporate (Wells was previously a community inside CRD Area 'C') and they'll have to live with the consequences of that decision - good or bad