Yesterday, Welcome to Williams Lake ran a story on next week's Cariboo RD meeting with Area D,E, F fringe residents' who receive fire protection from the City of WL Fire Department. Read the article in question here
The article quoted Deputy Area 'D' Director Bill Carruthers as saying:
“Through a back-door deal with the Provincial Government, the City instituted an increase in rates for people in fringe protection areas which is a great deal higher than city costs,” explained alternate Director Bill Carruthers.
“Since there was no referendum, the CRD needs to get a clear feel for what residents want.”
“Are you prepared to accept the higher costs from the City? Are you prepared to go without fire protection? Are you prepared to organize a volunteer fire department? Are you prepared to pay the higher rates until such time as you can organize a new volunteer fire department in your area?”
“CRD Directors will be present to explain the options to residents, and answer any questions
On the issue of increasing fire rates to CRD Rural Fringe residents' for fire protection - as a City of WL resident, I am completely dumbfounded why the then City elected officials did not see value in, at least, informing the then CRD elected officials of the day (Area D - Deb Bischoff, Area E - Steve Mazur and Area F - Joan Sorley) that the rates would indeed be increasing and the rationale for doing so prior to implementation. If the rate increase was due to increasing costs, I would think that CRD Directors' would accept this, if they felt the justification for the increasing fire protection rates was fair and reasonable
As for the referendum issue -- we need to be clear that there was no formal referendum on the new Fire Hall as former City of WL Mayor Scott Nelson and his Council elected to use a 'counter-petition' process or the Alternative Approval Process (AAP) to get formal authority to borrow funds for the new Fire Hall ($6.5 million) and since CRD fringe residents' were never going to pay for the borrowing directly, it was a strict vote of City of WL residents'. My own view was given, at the time, it was close enough to the general election in 2008, it should have been a formal vote and the cost could have been absorbed into the general election costs
As for the remaining quote from Bill Carruthers over the following:
“Are you prepared to accept the higher costs from the City? Are you prepared to go without fire protection? Are you prepared to organize a volunteer fire department? Are you prepared to pay the higher rates until such time as you can organize a new volunteer fire department in your area?”
I am certain that CRD Directors' with CRD Staff, at next's Wednesday meeting on this topic (7pm Wed at the Gibraltar Room) will explain the pros/cons of the above but in discussing this with Bill Carruthers today -- the options are really two-fold:
1) Get a negotiated agreement with the City of WL to provide fire protection to CRD Area D, E, and F residents'
2) CRD sets up its' own Rural Fringe Fire Protection function
As I've stated before, I think Option 1 is preferable over Option 2 but I think that CRD rural fringe (Areas D-F) residents' are not willing to pay what the City of WL dictates the Cariboo RD must pay for rural fringe fire protection. Give and take is definitely, in my mind, required to come to an agreement here
But with only 2 weeks remaining (Oct 4th) before the Cariboo Regional District must make a decision on rural fire protection for Area D, E, F residents, my own biggest fear is Option 2 will become a reality because of the City's "take it or leave it attitude" and some may indeed go without fire protection for a significant period of time and this option may or may not be acceptable to those who currently receive fire protection from the City of WL Fire Department
Stay tuned!
SBF
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