RDOS fights province

JOHN MOORHOUSE/Penticton Herald Monday, February 22, 2010
The pending closure of the B.C. Assessment Authority office in Penticton doesn‘t sit well with the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen. The RDOS board has decided to write a letter to the provincial government, asking it to reconsider a decision announced in October to consolidate the Penticton and Vernon Assessment Authority offices into the Kelowna office by Dec. 31, 2010. The move will affect nine staff members in Penticton and 13 in Vernon.
Connie Fair, president and CEO of the Assessment Authority, appeared before the RDOS board and explained the reasons behind the consolidation decision. Fair said 80 per cent of inquiries are made by phone, with 10 per cent in person and 10 per cent by email. “So much of what we‘re doing requires a phone call,” she said. “We‘re not doing a lot of face-to-face (consultations).” She added the Crown corporation is investigating a “telecommuting” option in contract talks with its CUPE union. If approved, some staff members around the province may be allowed to work from home.

The Okanagan consolidation will reduce the number of Assessment Authority field offices throughout the province to 16. Two-thirds of its staff is based on the Lower Mainland. Tom Chapman, RDOS director for Naramata, described the decision to close offices as “very rash,” pointing to the loss of payroll and reduction in personal contact with affected local property owners. “How can you honestly think that not having people actually out in the field is going to somehow enhance the quality of assessments?” he asked. “I think you‘re going to have a significant increase in complaints.” Fair said the Assessment Authority plans to maintain a temporary office in Penticton during the peak period after assessment notices are mailed each January. She added that one of the reasons behind the move was that the leases for the Penticton and Vernon offices both expire later this year.

Kevin McPhail, president of CUPE local 1767, was among those in the public gallery listening to Fair‘s presentation. McPhail said afterwards the Assessment Authority had recently extended the Penticton lease by six months to coincide with the Vernon lease. Prior to a provincial core services review in 2002, the Penticton office had 21 employees. McPhail said all the Penticton and Vernon staff members have been offered a position in Kelowna and must respond to the offer by March 31. So far, none have made a decision to commute or move to the Central Okanagan. Although the RDOS board opted to ask the province to reconsider the consolidation move, the vote was not unanimous. Seven of the 18 directors were opposed, including chairman Dan Ashton and directors Stu Wells, Pat Hampson, Gordon Clark, Ken Roberge, Michael Brydon and Mark Pendergraft.