Nelson's John Dooley off to first ever B.C. Mayors Caucus
By Bruce Fuhr
Nelson’s John Dooley will join 85 of mayor friends this week in Penticton for a three-day caucus hoping to form a common front on issues threatening their ability to deliver core services.
“The idea has been floating around for quite some time and I’m happy we’re going to get together to make it happen,” Dooley told The Nelson Daily.
Last week Dooley was in Kamloops attending Cities Fit of Children Conference.
All B.C. mayors have been invited to Penticton for three days, beginning Wednesday.
This type of meeting has never been done before in B.C. but is based on successful ventures like the FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) Big-City Mayor Caucus as well as groups that meeting regularly in the United States and Europe.
“Seeing how this is the first meeting I’m keeping a fairly opening mind and not exactly sure what we’re going to accomplish.”
“I see this more as a get together with an informal agenda,” Dooley adds.
Each participant will pay $200 for the three-day conference, and cover his or her own accommodation expenses.
Cities, towns and municipalities are responsible for transportation, police and fire services, water, sewerage and garbage, recreation and culture, land-use planning, public health and animal control, but municipal governments that must cover those costs receive only eight per cent of the total public revenues.
The province receives 42 per cent and the federal government gets 50 per cent of taxes, according to a press release issued by the mayors.
“This event is only for Mayors of B.C. communities,” the press release adds. “It’s not about provincial or federal ministers.
“We’re rolling up our sleeves and getting down to the hard work of governing communities in B.C.”
