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Lumby Wants More Info On Conservation Fund

Jun 6, 2018 | 8:52 AM

Lumby Council wants more information from the regional district on a planned conservation fund before signing onto it.

The regional district is calling for member communities and electoral areas to agree to setting up a bylaw that would pay for the fund through a small service tax.

Mayor Kevin Acton says while council supports conservation, it needs some specifics.

“How’s the funding going to work. How’s decisions going to be made on which projects to fund. Is it going to wages. Is it going to land purchases. Is it going to  stream restoration.”

Acton says Lumby would want to have some influence in any decisions that are made.

“We’re all in support of conservation but we’re not sure that we want to pay wages, you know, conservation officers, are kind of the province’s forte so we want to make sure we’re not getting into funding provincial programs.

The regional district wants to fund the service through a tax requisition of two cents per one thousand dollars of taxable land and improvements.

The fund would be designed to develop projects that support environmental conservation and community sustainability.