Fundamental strategies at the City of Vernon could be turned on end.
Among 113 recommendations, a core services review suggests scaling back transit service and discharging treated waste water into the lake as ways of reducing costs and increasing efficiencies.
“Some are pretty dramatic and fly in the face of the way we have been operating,” said Coun. Brian Quiring.
The city has long promoted the fact that it uses treated effluent water to irrigate parks, golf courses and pastures instead of pumping it into Okanagan Lake as other communities do.
However, the review by KPMG states that spray irrigation costs $1 million a year, and by putting the water into the lake, it is available to everyone and not just a limited group.
“That will be a controversial matter,” said Coun. Bob Spiers, referring to previous legal fights over lake discharge.
In terms of transit, KPMG says that while the city has focused on the service as a way of avoiding costly road infrastructure, there is actually limited benefit and transit should be directed towards helping the disabled and people who cannot afford cars.
The link between transit and reducing pollution is also questioned.
“Driving a big 40-foot long diesel bus with two or three passengers does not produce less greenhouse gas than if they drive their own cars,” said Brian Bourns, KPMG senior manager.
The report suggests reducing transit to a couple of routes that would recover 50 per cent of the operating cost.
Coun. Juliette Cunningham is concerned parts of the report don’t fit with community priorities.
“When you look at transportation or the environment, they are aligned with (development of) the official community plan,” she said.
“There was a vision created by participants in that process.”
Any report recommendations regarding staff are being discussed by council behind closed doors.
“We will look at staffing to see where there are efficiencies,” said Mayor Rob Sawatzky, adding that council is aware that uncertainty may cause stress for employees.
Other suggestions in the core review report are using health care volunteers, not firefighters, to respond to medical emergencies; reducing subsidies for O’Keefe Ranch; amalgamating Greater Vernon, and going from one-week to two-week garbage collection.
Another suggestion is closing Civic Arena, but instead of replacing it immediately, other adjacent communities should be accessed to provide ice-user need.
Council will discuss the report May 13 and it’s not known when any decisions could be made.
