RDOS ponders own core services review

JOHN MOORHOUSE Wednesday, April 7, 2010 Penticton Herald:
While Penticton city council ponders the recommendations of the recently-completed core services review, the regional district may soon be following suit. The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen is looking at conducting a core service review of its own. However, RDOS administrator Bill Newell said Tuesday nothing is certain just yet. Newell said although the regional board has agreed in principle to proceed with the review, no money to hire an outside consultant has been included in this year‘s budget. RDOS directors are expected to discuss the matter further at their April 15 meeting before deciding whether to proceed with a request for proposals from outside consultants. Newell said the RDOS used the Penticton review as a template, but changes are likely. He noted regional governments operate on a much different scope than municipalities. Although the Penticton study cost $75,000 to conduct (plus another $25,000 for implementation), Newell said the RDOS is looking at a smaller study in the range of $20,000 to $30,000. The regional district has about 60 employees on staff and operates 129 different service functions under a $28.2-million budget, adopted last month despite opposition from the four Penticton directors. Newell emphasized it‘s still early in the process and expects to get a firmer direction from the board at next week‘s meeting.

“I think there‘s always an interest in efficiencies. When you get a board of 18 there are always perceptions on where we can become more efficient,” he said. “But really, in order to scope that out, you need some sort of a third party expert, that has the time, to come in and take a look at it.” The administrator‘s initial report into the proposal included some possible areas for review. “Given that a substantial portion of the regional district‘s expenditures is staffing, the study should examine, at a macro level, the regional district‘s labour costs and staffing levels in comparison to other similar regional districts,” the report stated. Newell said none of the RDOS directors have expressed direct concerns over the results of the Penticton report, although there could be considerable debate on the budgetary implications. “You‘ll get some who want to spend money on a study like that and some that don‘t,” he said. “It will be an interesting discussion.” The Penticton core services review by the consultant firm Helios Group, was released last month. It identified several possible cost-reduction opportunities including a decrease in the number of city jobs and reducing discretionary services. Council has yet to make a decision, although it recently hired a legal consultant to help implement some of the review‘s recommendations. There is growing community opposition to any proposal to privatize operations at the Penticton Community Centre. A petition calling for the preservation of the facility‘s existing staff and programs was presented to council last night.