As I’ve written previously, the Union of BC Municipalities has become a colossal waste of time and money, as municipal politicians glad hand, wine and dine, and basically enjoy a “working” vacation on your dime.

Not everyone agrees, but the Sun had an interesting story today where municipal leaders were complaining about the type of resolutions their colleagues were bringing forward to UBCM.

Full disclosure - Golden Mayor Christina Benty is a friend of mine, and boy was she bang-on in her comments here:

But the resolution booklet is often stuffed with demands that either have little to do with municipal issues or are so picayune in comparison that some politicians roll their eyes in exasperation.

"My personal favourite was the one involving sterilization of bunnies," said Brian Frenkel, Vanderhoof councillor and president of the North Central Local Government Association. That 2012 resolution from Delta, which was passed by the UBCM, called for the province to ban the pet store sale of unsterilized rabbits.

"Mine is the sale of energy drinks to children," said Golden Mayor Christina Benty, the president of the Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments. "Why is that a resolution we are debating at UBCM? I'm sorry, that has nothing to do with local government."

That 1996 resolution, also from Delta, fizzled after most delegates voted against the motion to get rid of 99-cent drinks.

Now the province's five regional local government associations want to change the process and knock off both frivolous and unattainable resolutions.

"He who chases two rabbits catches neither. We cannot keep being a catchall for everything and every issue," said Benty. "We get eight cents on every tax dollar and we are trying to do everything for everybody? That's absurd, and we are paying for the absurdity right now."

Frenkel's association reviewed more than 400 resolutions northern communities have sent to the UBCM over the last 10 years. Only seven were acted on, and of those only four pertained to municipal issues, said Oliver Ray, the executive director of the NCLGA.

The five associations are debating limiting to five each the number of resolutions they take to the UBCM, Frenkel said. Dealing with 25 powerful resolutions instead of the 200-300 that often don't get resolved by senior government seems to be a better option, Frenkel said.

Actually holding local governments accountable to the things within their mandate, and not whatever issue bounds past them? Go Brian and Christina!