Saturday, January.11,.1992.m

‘THE FAR SIDE

By GARY LARSON

“Pakula pulling for Kinnaird

@ City alderman urging citizens to
rally around aging Kinnaird Hall
Scott David Harrison =

_ EDITOR

Bob Paka int ivingans

‘The Castlegar io its Kin-
hail Hall pee eee Paku-

lais Pe tojoin the fight to stave
wrecking ba!

_ offthe

The fate of the site hall returned to city
council chambers Wednesday when a repre-
sentative from the local air cadets pleaded with
council to keep it open. Robert Fullerton said
the hall is the only spot low- and no-budget
groups can use.

“If we lose this, we have lost our place forev-
er,” Fullerton told council. “Where could we go?
ise wants us and we can’t afford anywhere
else.”

Council is.eurrently considering three options
for the 50-year-old, volunteer labor built hall —

restore it at a cost of $79,000, have it declared a
heritage site or tear it down. -
A decision on the hall is expected to be made
Jan, 17.
Pakula said he has been encouraged with the.
support that the hall has been getting.

“As long as there is someone out there that
wants it, there is hope for Kinnaird Hall,” he
said.

Pakula said he would like to see the city spend
the money to restore the hall, something that
has been all but dismissed. In earlier reports,
city administrator Gary Williams said the
$79,000 needed to upgrade the hall to meet
building standards wouldn’t be prudent, espe-
cially considering that Kinnaird provides a year-
ly net revenue of some $17,000.

Williams was joined in his stand by Ald. Jim
Chapman, who took the debate a step further,

saying the aging Columbia Avenue hall was a
“write off.”

continued from front page

The average residential tax raté in
1991 was 7.49 per cent. In 1990, the .
rate was 9.85 per cent.

While the two per cent tax break will
come as good news to homeowners,
Moore says it doesn’t stop there. She
said the city will hold a series of dis-
cussions with residents prior to the
budgets final approval in May.

Moore dismissed the notion that the
budget meetings are city council’s way
of restoring public faith in Castlegar’s
elected representatives — 1992 marks
the first time the budget has gone to
the people.

“We've held public meetings on all
types of things,” Moore said, naming
downtown revitalization and protec-

BS petit as examples. “We are not
secret council.”

A_public meeting is tentatively ~
ued for early March.
items outlined by the provi-

sional budget include a 1.5 per cent de-
crease in taxes to major industries and
average hikes of six per cent to local
businesses.

Sewer rates will grow by 10 per cent

‘in the north, while residents in south

Castlegar can look forward to 20 per
cent hikes. Water rates, meanwhile,

will grow 10 per cent across the board.
Those increases were determined by
council in November.

According to the provisional budget,
though, the city will spend just
$67,953 for storm sewer repairs.

City council indemnities will in-
crease slightly in 1992, by some $3,000
to $50,400. Council’s travel and con-
ference budgét will also grow, up from
$25,000 in 1991 to $26,500 this year.

RCMP costs, which are non nego-
tiable, will also increase in 1992, from
$631,677 to $676,100.

Fire services will grow in 1992 by
some $19,000 to $249,920.

The total for protection services for

1992 is projected to be some $1.07 mil-
lion, up from $985,737 in 1991. ——
eral government services is ex-
pected to cost the city $1.1 million in
1992, while transportation services
will demand $1. 5 million.
Castlegar is proposing to spend
$114,272 on environmental health and
another $339,900 on environmental

- development services.

Public health and welfare, mean-
while, is being allotted $60,922.

_Castlegar’s recreational and cultur-
al services for 1992 are estimated to
cost $458,261.

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Second RON

Coalition calls for more meetings

Scott David Harrison
EDITOR :

. The calm has been restored to
city council chambers.

One day after capturing the
wrath of an upset public, council
dusted itself off and returned to
work Wednesday.

“I thought it was a wonderful
meeting,” Mayor Audrey Moore
said of the Tuesday council ses-

sion attended by some 100 angry.

citizens. “I was really pleased that
the public came out like it did. We
asked them for some ideas and we
got them.”

Despite Moore’s glowing review
of the three-hour meeting —

which forced cancelation of the .

regular council session until
Wednesday — one citizen says he’s
still not happy.

“Hell no, I’m not satisfied,” Mike
O’Connor said. “There are still
some very important things that
must be addressed.”

-The spokesperson for a group
called the Concerned Citizens

Coalition, O’Connor said the meet- ”

ing did little to alleviate the fears
of citizens.

“It didn’t accomplish enough and
no first meeting: will,” he said.
“There have to be more meetings.”

O’Connor said the large audi-
ence will give council an idea of the
level of dissatisfaction among vot-

ers. He said it also tells officials
“that I am not the only. one bitch-

O'Connor, whose group demand-
ed answers to 17 questions it pub-
lished in a local newspaper, said he
isn’t trying to stir up trouble. In-
stead, he contends that the group
merely wants answers.

“The problem as we see it, is->

there are a lot of things going on at
city hall that we don’t agree with,”
O’Connor said, “and most of it in-
volves spending.”

O’Connor said he can’t under
stand why the city is spending mon-
ey it doesn’t have.

“I wonder what the rush is,” he
said, referring to the $10 million in

KIDS IN THE HALL

capital projects the city has planned
for the future. “Gee, let’s take just
our time, that’s all we’re saying.

“The city has to become more re-
alistic. It has to have realistic plans
and realistic goals,” O’Connor said.
“It can’t spend money it doesn’t
have.”

O’Connor dismissed the idea
that he was trying to undermine
Moore.

“Don’t get me wrong, I think Au-
drey Moore is a damn good mayor, I
just think she isn’t listening to all
the citizens.”

Moore was in Vancouver and
could not be reached for comment
prior to press time.

Harcourt

ends ICBC.

joyride

Just when Castlegar drivers
thought they were getting a break,

ie B.C. government has stepped

By an order-in-council Wednes-
day, Mike Harcourt put an end to”
any ideas of escaping hefty ICBC
increases by implementing the 19
per cent rate hike three weeks ear-
ly.

News photo by Matthew Hample
Students at Stanley Humphries returned to school Monday to find renovations have moved into a new__
corridor. The repairs are all part of a major upgrading taking place at the local secondary sei

The government had scheduled
the increase for Feb. 1, but be-
cause so many B.C. drivers were
taking advantage of a loop hole,
Harcourt said he was forced to
close it. That loop hole allowed
drivers to cancel their insurance
and reregister at the lower rate for
one year.

The move is expected to save
ICBC $6 million.

Regional district eyeing service charges

Jonathan Green
NEWS REPORTER.

The Regional District of Central Kootenay is
looking to increase its bank account.

At a retreat last April, the 20 regional direc-
tors for the RDCK decided to explore ways it
could receive payment for services it funds. Af-
ter kicking around some ideas, the nine mu-
nicipal and 11 rural directors voted in Novem-
ber to consider applying fees to help recover ad-
ministrative costs.

RDCK Chief Administration Officer Reid
Henderson declined to comment on the vote,
but said the verdict was clear.

“It’s fair to say it was a majority of directors
(that voted in favor of the recovery motion),”
he said.

Upon impl tation, Henderson said the
administrative cost recovery fee will bring the
district an annual return of over $100,000.

“We hope to recover a total of $156,000 in ad-
ministrative costs,” he said.

The money would come from two sources,

according to Henderson. ~~

The first would see the district levy a $9.50
charge to all cheques a particular service
writes. The second, meanwhile, would come
from liability insurance purchased by particu-
lar services.

Henderson said that a provisional budget for
1992 has been put together with the recovery
fee in mind.

He added that changes can be made up to
and including March 26, when the annual bud-
get will be released.

Originally, when services required funds,
the districts could dip into a general account.
But if the new plan is implemented, John
Voykin thinks that it will miss the point.

“I opposed it,” said the director for area I.

‘ “We're going away from the regional concept.”

Voykin said that the vote was taken with-
out giving much thought to the 152 services in-
volved.

“The majority of the board felt we should
push it through without giving consideration to
some of the functions,” he said. “I think it’s

wrong.”

Voykin said nine groups could feel the fi-
nancial pinch if the plan goes through.

“If we're going to start bankrupting func-
tions, I think it’s a very unwise move,” he said.

Voykin said there is a bottom line to the
board’s plan.

“We’ve created more problems than we can
deal with,” he said.

Kenneth Wyllie is Voykin’s counterpart in
area J, and he thinks the plan would be best
saved until next year.

“I don’t think, as a practical matter, we'll be
able to implement it in time,” he said. .

“We don’t have the process in place.”

Wyllie echoed Voykin’s belief that the board
rushed the vote through.

“I have very grave and deep concerns that
the vote was taken without referring it to the
functions affected,” he said.

Henderson said the boards’ final decision on

_ the plan will be made at the annual budget.

meeting on March 26, where it will either be
implemented or postponed until 1993.

(Ea et oe