Article in the Comox Valley Echo today announcing UBID’s plans for a new fire hall. Loooooonnnnnnnnngggggggg term plans for a fire hall in 2019. This is the same Board who voted to raise the parcel taxes a whopping $10. a year in 2012. I predict no one will say ‘boo’ because these folks just don’t think. They believe what they want to believe – hillbillies are in the majority here.
With a higher charge of $200 per property per year, and with some KIP development, the sum raised could be $1,266,000. But it would need an additional levy of around $300 a property a year to raise $2 million.
So a levy of around $300 a year to raise $2 million.
At current prices, it could cost $2.5 million.
So at current prices there would be a shortfall of a half a million which would require borrowing funds.
And then there is this:
Construction is not the only thing that needs to be budgeted, as the service needs to plan for new or replacement vehicles and updated equipment that could add another $1.5 million over the coming years.
Landowners are looking at sinking a cool $4 million just for the Fire Department. This doesn’t cover any Public Works (as it is now called) or any other costs.
How about charging landowners $600 a year then they would have the whole 4 million by 2019. Still leaves those other nasty millions to deal with water infrastructure.
So what are they going to do until 2019? Like those before them, they rely on the generosity of KIP and hope to be thrown a bone. How pathetic. If the Board had run the District properly, the money that was set aside for the future would be there instead of joining the First Responder Program which is another money pit leaving no funds in the coffers for Fire Hall upgrades or repairs. This district is facing a financial crisis if you consider water tolls do not cover the cost of providing water, filtration system costing $1.4 million (first phase) with a deadline approaching, land must be purchased and then a reservoir will be constructed, and this is additional to the cost of a new Fire Hall, new Fire Trucks and new First Responder Vehicles which require additional equipment and Training. Millions and Millions of dollars and that is if all goes according to plan and there are no major leaks or breakdowns as UBID would be forced to borrow. KIP has fooled them for at least 7 years and has never been forced to put up anything except his word. UBID has always been at the beck and call of KIP and the landowners are going to pay the price for their ignorance.
UBID has a dream. Let’s dream that dream together. Odd that in Feb. 2012, the TAG Board announced there were no issues facing UBID and congratulated themselves on saving the community. List the accomplishments since TAG became involved in the Board in 2010, over 3 years ago. Look at what UBID gained for the community negotiating with KIP. UBID is out of their league. The best the community can hope for is KIP defaulting on the filtration and have someone with a brain ready the next time a developer offers benefits to Union Bay in exchange for water. For christ’s sake have a real negotiator who doesn’t negotiate down from what’s offered. Do not allow a repeat of KIP offering $17.4 million and UBID negotiates $1.4 million (told you- hillbillies). 
