The Cost of Fire Protection in the Cariboo:

The City of Williams Lake charged its taxpayers approx $63 per $100,000. of assessment in 2012, but it wants way more than double from fringe taxpayers! A number was also floated that City of Williams Lake wants $190 per $100,000. of assessment. THREE TIMES AS MUCH!

WHAT?

Well folks, here is what other cities in the Cariboo charge their fringe community members:

1. Quesnel charges Red Bluff Fire Prot     $54  per $100,000 of assessment      
2. 100 Mile house charges 100MH Fringe  $64  per $100,000 of assessment

Thank You Quesnel and 100 mile house for not trying to rip-off and soak it to your surrounding communities for fire protection. Good job on building a community of fairness.

So here are samples costs of owning our own Volunteer Fire Department in the cariboo.

Cost for Rural Fire Protection
108 Mile House Fire Protection          $ 47  per $100,000. of assessment
Kersley Fire Protection                       $ 56   per $100,000. of assessment
Lone Butte Fire Protection                 $ 64   per $100,000. of assessment
Lac La Hache Fire Protection             $ 64   per $100,000. of assessment
Bouchie Lake Fire Protection             $ 66   per $100,000. of assessment
Deka Lake Fire Protection                  $ 64   per $100,000. of assessment
150 Mile House Fire Protection          $ 68   per $100,000. of assessment
Wildwood Fire Protection                   $ 112 per $100,000. of assessment 

With costs much like the city of Williams Lake charges its own tax payers($63 per $100,000), it begs to reason; why would any one in their right mind want to pay over $90 per $100,000 of assessment, when you could own and operate your own Volunteer Fire Department.

Thank you for looking at my perspective and opinion. cheers.

The Effects of Greed & Lack of Co-Operation on Fire Protection

Greed equates to excessive selfishness, a constant yearning for more than you have, with no regard for community or thought about the consequences of your choices. 

The taxpayers of the Cariboo Regional District (CRD) agreed to pay more than their fair share for fire protection ($129-147 per $100k assessment value) and help the taxpayers of Williams Lake ($63-74 per $100k assessment value) pay for their expensive firehouse.

The residents of the CRD need fire protection and the taxpayers of Williams Lake need revenue to pay for their fire hall. Win-Win right? Nope, this is not a win-win agreement, it is now turning into lose-win agreement, and when you get a lose-win agreement,....everyone loses.

It seems that the City of Williams Lake is just wanting more and more and more cash.  It’s not enough that the CRD taxpayers pay double what Williams Lake residents pay for fire protection, the city wants more.

This is not the spirit of community where the sum of the whole is greater than the sum of its individual parts.

The consequences;

It is becoming obvious that the taxpayers of Williams Lake are going to end up paying the whole cost of their over priced fire hall on their own. The victims of these choices are the taxpayers of Williams Lake. By kissing good bye $550,000 dollars a year in revenue contributed by the CRD to your revenue stream for fire protection, WL residents will have less money for other services.

Williams Lake needs the CRD taxpayers revenue and they need us more than we need them. Why, because the CRD taxpayers can go their own way, we can do this, we have the ability to build a low-cost, effective VFD and do so for less than $100 per $100k assessment value.

The Cariboo RD can get a court injunction for Williams Lake to provide fire protection until our VFD is built.

Williams Lake VFD will lose volunteer fire fighters, who live in the Regional district, to the CRD VFD.

In the end the taxpayers of the CRD will be paying less and we will have complete direction of its fire hall, as opposed to no real input or cost management.

Is Williams Lake really building a community of abundance and fairness or are we dividing?

If you live in the Cariboo Regional District, You can complete the online version of the Survey here

Thank you for looking at my perspective and opinion. cheers.