Regional district budget drops

Disembodied voices were numerous at Tuesday night’s meeting of the Central Okanagan regional district board.

Several of the 13 directors who sit on the board, representing municipalities throughout the Central Okanagan, participated by phone rather than in person.

They chose not to attend the meeting, at the board of fice on KLO Road in Kelowna, because of the social distancing directions given as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

Dial-in participants included Kelowna Mayor Colin Basran, Peachland Mayor Cindy Fortin and West Kelowna Mayor Gord Milsom.

During the meeting, directors approved the district’s 2020 operating plan with a budget of $56 million, down slightly from last year’s $58.9 million.

The owner of an average single-family home in Kelowna will pay about $182 in regional taxes this year, in addition to city taxes, hospital taxes, school taxes and other fees shown on property tax forms.

Wayne Carson, director for rural areas on the west side of Okanagan Lake, asked if any budget changes had been made as a result of the pandemic.

Finance chief Marilyn Rilkcoff said the budget was “pretty fiscally conservative” to begin with, but noted the board would have the ability to make spending changes later if the need arose.

The deadline for local property tax payments has been extended to Sept. 30 by the provincial government as part of its response to the pandemic.

Business and light- and major-industry property classes will see their school taxes cut in half. The government says this measure will save these property owners $500 million.

Services provided by the regional district include waste management, 911, dog control, and economic development.