There’s absolutely no question that O’Keefe Ranch is important to the North Okanagan.
Historically, it was the first non-indigenous settlement in the region and it was because of Cornelius O’Keefe’s success, that others made their way here. And for the modern era, the ranch not only plays a key role preserving our past, but it is a major tourism destination.
But, however, valuable the ranch is from a social perspective, many Vernon residents may question the ongoing subsidy of $150,000 a year.
Vernon council in 2013 attempted to address those public concerns by establishing a plan to wean the ranch off of the subsidy — decreasing to $100,000 in 2017, $50,000 in 2018 and $10,000 in 2019.
On Monday, O’Keefe representatives urged the current crop of politicians to reverse the cuts and retain the $150,000. The argument is that the ranch deserves full funding because it has experienced record attendance and new events are bolstering revenue.
The challenge, though, for city hall is it has numerous financial pressures, including needing to repair roads and sewer lines. The other issue is that while the city owns the ranch, it is in Spallumcheen and is a regional asset. Why are Vernon residents the only ones footing the bill?
The next step is for Vernon council to look at the ranch’s books to see whether the request to scrap the subsidy cuts has merit.
And a final decision won’t be easy as the city must balance the needs of the ranch with fiscal accountability to taxpayers.
