ROTHENBURGER – Who were the ‘divisive’ ones in TNRD rural tax clash?
Rural director Mike Grenier (right) speaks at Thursday’s TNRD board meeting. (Image: Mel Rothenburger)
THE WORDS ‘DIVISIVE’ and “irresponsible” were liberally tossed around as local-government reps met this week. There was emotion, talk of the need for “teamwork” vs. “team sports,” of feeling “uncomfortable.”
“It seems you’re pitting us against you,” Kamloops councillor Bill Sarai claimed at one point. The contention ended with a lop-sided vote against the motion that caused the ire.
For a change, it wasn’t happening in Kamloops council chambers, and the target wasn’t the mayor. No, it all went down in the Thompson-Nicola Regional District board room. The unfortunate lightning rod was Mike Grenier, who represents the Cherry Creek-Tranquille Valley area west of the city.
His crime was to propose using a chunk of surplus funds from the development services department — specifically building inspections — to reduce the expected 2024 provisional tax increase from 8.4 per cent to three per cent for electoral areas. That would have taken $575,000 from a $2.7 million reserve fund and spread it among the 10 electoral areas, which serve the rural parts of the district.
They say all politics is local. It doesn’t get any more local — or parochial — than it was at the TNRD on Thursday afternoon as municipal directors, led by Kamloops City councillors, took on their rural counterparts who were asking for the change.
Mel Rothenburger is a regular contributor to CFJC Today, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
It sounds like more threats first from Mike O’Reilly and also from the gang. The same faces, the same methods and plenty of Mr. Sarai to go around.
“In case of turbulence and a session of nausea, please use the bag stowed under the seat in front of you”, saith the friendly attendant.
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“ The divisiveness came from his municipal counterparts — they were the ones who caused the rift by imagining an issue that wasn’t there.” It goes to show the petulance and lack of fortitude of the many populating CoK’s council. I say again we are not in good hands.
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