City takes proposal to UBCM

Bruce Walkinshaw - Penticton Western News Published: September 28, 2010 6:00 PM
This week Penticton council’s delegation at the annual Union of British Columbia Municipalities convention will make a recommendation that the province allow local governments the ability to charge developers more money when they want to build a project in their jurisdiction. Called development cost charges, the Local Government Act currently allows municipalities to impose the fees in order to help pay for a list of community amenities that the municipality may have to alter, upgrade or expand in order to service the new population who will occupy the development. Currently, DCCs may be imposed for sewage, water, drainage and highway facilities, as well as for park lands. However, DCCs cannot be assessed for capital costs associated with fire suppression or transit. The Penticton recommendations, approved 6-1 by council last week, seeks to change that.

“The provincial government’s mandate is to reduce greenhouse gases,” said Mayor Dan Ashton. “One way of reducing greenhouse gases is to ensure an adequate transit system is provided for its citizens. This requires appropriate transit infrastructure such as transit buses, transit stops, transit shelters, and transfer stations. “Currently, the cost of this service is paid for by the local government and BC Transit, with no financial contribution from the developers. This is a costly service and directly related to growth. As such, local governments should have the ability to charge development cost charges to assist in funding this service.” Ashton will also argue that with the growth of many municipalities going upwards, the needs of fire services has changed. “Highrise buildings require different fire apparatus, equipment and tools to properly provide fire protection,” he said. “Expansion outward may increase response time requiring the construction of new fire stations, the purchase of additional fire apparatus and the hiring of more firefighters.“Again, these costs are paid for by the municipality with no developer contributions. As with transit, this is a growth related cost and should be considered under the development cost charge scheme.”