qathet Regional District’s finance committee has recommended a significant increase in contribution to reserves for the replacement of the Malaspina Volunteer Fire Department fire hall.
At the February 11 committee meeting, a reconsideration motion was brought forward, indicating the committee recommends that the regional board direct staff to increase the Malaspina fire protection service annual contribution to the statutory reserve fund from $29,412 to $200,000 per year. Electoral Area B director Mark Gisborne indicated that he wanted the $200,000 annual contribution to reserves reduced to $50,000 per year.
“One of the reasons is our fire apparatus is covered by community works funds and fire apparatus is one of the things that needs to be replaced after a 20- to 25-year period,” said Gisborne. “This motion is specific to fire halls. Reserve funds are quite healthy right now. We are going through a service review, but I understand that there isn’t a plan on the books for replacing the fire hall. We all recognize the hall is old and that we need to find a new location and get a hall built, but at the same time, any operating costs that are saved and realized from the service do go into reserves already.”
Gisborne said there is $386,000 in the fire hall reserve and $560,000 for apparatus.
Electoral Area C director and board chair Clay Brander said he had come to the meeting with the intention of reducing the reserve contribution as well, but he was not comfortable going down to $50,000 per year. His recommendation was to go down to $100,000 per year.
The committee unanimously voted to recommend that the regional board direct staff to increase the annual contribution to reserve to $100,000 per year.
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