Regional district slashes seven positions to cut costs

Kristi Patton - Penticton Western News Published: September 21, 2010 6:00 PM

Seven positions have been eliminated in the regional district after recommendations were adopted by the Regional District of Okanagan Similkameen. An operational audit process that commenced in June recommended the reduction of a manager, a confidential exclusion position and five union positions. Three other senior management positions were eliminated in 2009. “Sometimes we must make hard decisions and these were hard decisions for the board,” said board chair Dan Ashton. “For the benefit of those we serve, we need to move towards a more responsive, productive and fiscally responsive organization.”

Three of the discontinued positions are vacant through attrition and the incumbents of others have been notified that their positions will expire over the course of the next six months. The audit primarily addresses how the organization can adopt a culture of continuous improvement and offer better service. The net financial impact of the reorganization to the taxpayers of the regional district is estimated at $470,000 per year. The RDOS employs about 65 full-time staff. The positions eliminated include the air quality program co-ordinator, manager of engineering, project engineer, human resources advisor, an accountant, environmental planner and a few part-time jobs. “The board intends to proceed with the recommendations of the plan in a professional manner, knowing the hardship this will cause those affected,” added Ashton.

The audit, which rings similar to the core services review conducted at the City of Penticton where 10 city staff positions were terminated to bring an annual saving to the city of about $70,000, is different according to the board chair. “This is totally different from Penticton. Penticton was a core services review, this is an operational audit where we looked at the operations of every department ... this was an in-depth audit conducted not only by the CAO Bill Newell but the department managers. This is a more substantial and in-depth report than what the city had done and it was conducted internally rather than through a consultant,” said Ashton.

The board chair said the RDOS is going through a “cultural shift” and the audit will be a continual process where they will implement all of the recommendations. When asked if more cuts were expected, Ashton said, “at this point in time, no.” “The organization will have to continually look at itself on an ongoing basis because what works today, doesn’t necessarily work tomorrow,” he added. According to the regional district, as the implementation of the plan progresses, they will advise the public of some of the strategic initiatives that will come from it. With the adoption of the report, the board is said to feel comfortable that they have a leaner, more efficient operation and that they can provide citizens a higher level of service at a reduced cost. The RDOS board will decide at its next regular meeting on Oct. 7 if the full audit report will be made available to the public.