BC Assessment to close its Penticton office

By JOHN MOORHOUSE Wednesday, October 14, 2009 Penticton Herald:

Penticton is losing its B.C. Assessment office - and nine jobs - to Kelowna. The provincial Crown corporation announced Tuesday it plans to consolidate its Penticton and Vernon operations into the Kelowna office by Dec. 31, 2010. Mark Wooldridge, Okanagan regional assessor for B.C. Assessment, said all nine staff members in Penticton and another 13 in Vernon have been offered a position in Kelowna. “There is no job loss here at all,” he said. “We‘re just relocating them to the Kelowna office at the expiration of the leases in their respective offices.” Affected staff members have until the end of March to decide their future plans. Wooldridge said it‘s expected most will decide to either commute or move to Kelowna where the office will be expanded to accommodate the transferring employees. Wooldridge said the move is designed for operational and economic efficiencies. By consolidating operations in Kelowna, the government agency estimates it will save taxpayers about $441,000 a year. B.C. Assessment has operated an office in Penticton for 35 years, most recently in rented office space on Skaha Lake Road.

Wooldridge noted most people who have questions about their property assessment opt to contact the office by phone. In the Okanagan Region, more than 84 per cent of customers prefer the telephone to make contact. During the January 2009 inquiry period, when property owners received their new assessment notice, only 325 people made inquiries in person at the Vernon and Penticton offices. There will be no change in office service this January. Wooldridge added B.C. Assessment is contemplating opening temporary office facilities in Penticton for those who prefer counter service after property assessment notices are issued in early January 2011. “We will be able to gauge then what the take-up is and the requirements into the future,” he said. Enhanced Internet and toll-free phone services are also planned. “We remain committed to providing excellent property assessment services to residents of the Vernon and Penticton areas,” said Connie Fair, president and CEO of BC. Assessment. “We will make sure that our staff are available to all property owners as required.” “It is important to note that no staff will be laid off,” said Fair. “The leases for these two small offices are expiring so it is an opportune time to amalgamate these operations that are within close proximity to Kelowna to save costs for taxpayers.”

B.C. Assessment is a provincial Crown corporation, governed by a board of directors, which produces property assessment figures on an annual basis for all property owners in the province. Local governments use these figures when tabulating annual property taxes.