Regional District of North Okanagan building inspection undergoes review

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: March 23, 2012 1:00 AM

The future of regional building inspection services will be scrutinized further. The Regional District of North Okanagan board will use its committee structure to consider the building inspection department’s activities and whether changes possibly need to be made to building permit fees. “We want to see if there are any savings to be achieved,” said director Howie Cyr. “We want to gain an understanding of how it works.” The most contentious issue the committee will consider is whether using general taxation as a revenue source in 2012 will continue next year. The board recently approved $150,000 in taxation to support the building inspection function, which has seen building permit revenue decline during the recession. However, four jurisdictions opposed the move and they have threatened to withdraw from the service. “The 5-4 vote was not a win and there’s a lot of work to be done,” said Rob Smailes, general manager of planning, who supports reviewing the function. The review of the service delivery model has support from Shirley  Fowler, who voted against taxation this year. “This is an opportunity to work together and see where the concerns are,” she said.