There’s a push to tighten up annexation rules in Greater Vernon.
The Electoral Area Advisory Committee will write Community Development Minister Coralee Oakes about reviewing how properties in the rural areas are absorbed into municipalities and specifically Vernon.
“They (ministry) have been rubber-stamping every application and we want them to stop doing that,” said Bob Fleming, BX-Swan Lake director.
On May 23, the province approved 10 properties joining Vernon. They are on Star, Silver Star, Pleasant Valley, Mutrie, Herbert and Bates roads.
Fleming insists the annexation of individual properties into Vernon goes against the regional growth strategy and undermines the electoral areas’ tax base and ability to provide services.
“It’s anti-planning with random bits brought into the city,” he said, adding that the nature of the area changes.
“These properties are for development. They’re not annexed to farm.”
Mike Macnabb, BX-Silver Star director, says there is a need for the provincial government to clarify the role of electoral areas.
“If the city continues to bring forward applications, how do we effectively plan if there’s a crap-shoot with what properties Vernon will take in?” he said.
“We have no certainty. Applications come in and the city automatically approves them.”
City officials have previously stated that annexations are needed to extend sewer services to properties with failing septic tanks.
But Macnabb says other options, such as cross-boundary agreements, are used in other communities for sewer, including between Vernon and Coldstream.
Vernon officials are aware of the concerns coming from the electoral area directors.
“The city is unhappy with being in a position to go against the wishes of the electoral area directors but we want to try and satisfy the request of their own property owners to be accepted into the city,” said Mayor Rob Sawatzky.
“We are reviewing how we will handle boundary adjustment requests.”
Sawatzky isn’t sure if the city would extend sewer services beyond boundaries, but he says other options for annexation applications are possible.
“We could refuse and say no or we could stay with the current process,” he said.
