How the three Joint Planning Committee in the Cariboo operate is currently under the microscope of the Cariboo Regional District.
CRD Chair Margo Wagner says it’s been a while since they’ve had a review…
“It hasn’t been done for years and they just need to be updated because these committees, the driving force behind them is for the municipalities and the regional district to work cooperatively together, to give rural and urban taxpayers a focal point of where their tax dollars go to provide joint services. That’s where the joint items are discussed and we owe it to our rural and urban taxpayers to be cognizant of the tax dollars, and to offer the best services that we can by working cooperatively together.”
Wagner says they began the process of establishing new terms of reference last week during their committee of the whole meeting, and have now punted it back to the committees…
“The issue has been referred back to the joint caucus and joint planning for them to do a bit more work on it together throughout the north, the center and the south groups. And you know come back to the board as a whole, probably in February.”
We asked Wagner if the sometimes contentious issue of voting structure will be included in this process…
“I think voting structure will definitely be discussed as terms of reference and I think there needs to be a mutually satisfying agreement from it. As I said in the south we tend to try to do everything by consensus and usually we’re very successful with that. The voting structure in the center can sometimes be a challenge as it an be in the north.”
Wagner says they hope the terms of reference can address these issues, although she says they won’t be able to fix everything all the time…
“When you have two groups of elected officials that represent very different areas, you know you’ve got the Mayor and Council represent the City and you have the rural Directors that represent a very large rural, often low population area, you’re bound to have some differences of opinion on where joint tax dollars should be paid and these terms of reference are merely a guide, there is no document that we could create that’s going to fix problems that any of the joint planning groups could run into.”
Wagner says one thing that won’t change with a new terms of reference, is that the Joint Committees will still just make recommendations to the Cariboo Regional District Board as a whole.