By Tracy Clark - Penticton Western News - February 17, 2008
Potential costs and logistical challenges of changing the regional governance model in the valley were the main concerns voiced by Penticton council during a consultation meeting Friday.Mayor Jake Kimberley and councillors Rory McIvor and John Vassilaki all spoke against the addition of a third level of local government but also expressed reservations about the potential possibility of amalgamating three regional districts in the Okanagan and Similkameen. Penticton was among the municipalities and rural areas throughout the valley being consulted this week as part of the regional governance review being undertaken by a board of 12 elected officials under the direction of Community Service Minister Ida Chong. The meetings provide an overview of the process, which began in November, and the three main options under consideration by the committee aside from the status quo. The options include the creation of a single regional district, an interregional alliance and an inter-regional authority.
Kimberley said at a meeting with mayors from Kelowna, Westbank and Vernon this week, the fear of how the new system of government would be funded was a major concern for the four largest cities in the Okanagan Valley, which pay the largest proportion into their respective regional governments. The option of an inter-regional authority would essentially add another level of government, one that would deal with specific service issues deem to be area wide. But Kimberley pointed out that not only was the governance review put in place by the province as a way to reduce government, not increase it, he said there are still questions about how it would be funded and who would sit on that board. He had similar questions for the option of a single regional district, and also wondered what authority it would have over the municipalities and wondered whether it would require the municipalities to extend services outside their boundaries to accommodate services in the rural areas. He added that finding a consensus on the issue would be a challenge. “This is a tough job you guys have,” agreed McIvor, adding that perhaps a positive could come out of it. He said amalgamating the three districts and thereby reducing the regional representation would be “a recipe for disaster.” McIvor also suggested that the final decision would come from the province, saying the elected officials would “sit on our hands until the province comes back and tells us what they want us to do.” He called the four-month timeline the province allowed for the regional districts to complete the review “ridiculous.”
Vassilaki said maintaining the status quo, while not considered the best option by the province, may be preferable among residents. He pointed to a recent study which showed a very high level of satisfaction among RDOS residents with the existing system. The survey, which asked residents about the budget and services of the RDOS, indicated largely positive rating for the district. More than 60 per cent of those responding to the survey indicated that their quality of life overall in the RDOS was high or very high, while 30 per cent said it was neither high nor low and eight per cent had not opinion. McIvor said the results show that there is a “pretty significant level of satisfaction” with the existing system. Vassilaki said in his opinion, amalgamation of the three districts was an option. Regarding the creation of an inter-regional authority, Vassilaki said it would take “years to put together” and determine who sits on the board. Creating an inter-regional alliance, however, which has not authority of legislation of enforcement, would provide an opportunity for the three regional boards to discuss area-wide issues and take them to back to their individual boards for consideration.While Friday’s meeting was advertised as a general meeting, only one member of the public sat in the gallery during the Penticton presentation. Residents will have a final opportunity to voice their opinions on Monday at the RDOS board room in Penticton, where the process will be discussed with the RDOS’s rural representatives.The information gathered at the session will be compiled into a report that will be presented at the council of councils meeting March 7 in Vernon. The final report from the governance review committee will be presented to the province on March 31.
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