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Consultant funds approved

Salmon Arm City Council held a special meeting Monday, Sept. 19 to reconsider a decision they made
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Nancy Cooper

Salmon Arm City Council held a special meeting Monday, Sept. 19 to reconsider a decision they made concerning a budget amendment for the Shuswap Recreation Society (SRS) at their Sept. 12 meeting.

The reconsideration was initiated by Mayor Nancy Cooper.

Bruce Cook, chair of the SRS, which manages the Shaw Centre and the SASCU Recreation Centre, sent a letter in advance of the Sept. 12 meeting, requesting a reallocation of $15,000 of funds from the operating budgets of the properties they manage to pay for a consultant to develop a strategic plan for the society.

Council initially defeated the motion with only Cooper and Coun. Kevin Flynn in support. Their concerns were based on the SRS choosing a consultant without proposals from multiple firms.

At the Sept. 19 meeting, Cook went before council to defend the SRS board’s decision to hire Knowlan Consulting Group without  proposals from other sources. The presentation swayed councillors Tim Lavery, Louise Wallace-Richmond and Chad Eliason. Ken Jamieson and Alan Harrison remained opposed.

“In instances like this we need to ask for proposals from a number of people rather than accept an individual one,” Harrison said.