City comparisons with RD OS are unrealistic

DEAR EDITOR:

Regarding Claude Bergman's letter, he made a comment stating, “Penticton pays a large percentage of the RDOS budget" (Herald, May 7).

I took a look at the most recent financials from the RDOS that I could find, 2018, and found this was not true. Best I could read was the RDOS total revenue that year was $35,310,296. This includes $2,908,953. from government transfers, it did not break down transfers from Penticton, B.C. or Canada.

My calculator says the government transfers amount to 0.082% of the RDOS budget.

Perhaps the Penticton contribution to the RDOS assists in the operation of the RDOS Campbell Mountain landfill.

The SOEC was a pet project of a mayor who happened to live in Summerland, and I believe the facility still requires subsidies from the Penticton taxpayer to break even. Terrific facility by the way. As is the pool.

Other than Okanagan Falls, other RDOS jurisdictions do not have expensive sewer systems to maintain. RDOS jurisdictions do not have expensive career fire departments to maintain, do not have expensive policing services to maintain nor a large public works department. All items found in larger cities with costs borne by residents and industries of that city.

As mentioned, taxes may well be lower in outlying areas based on equal assessments, however the services provided are not equal, by any regard.

Because any addition to the tax rolls I believe requires provincial input and the majority of residents do not utilize Penticton's recreation facilities, perhaps the user pay system would be fair to the “outliers” that use the facilities.

Of course, this would also include kids and adults in swim programs, hockey programs, dance programs, lacrosse programs, tennis, pickleball and any other programs Penticton facilitates utilizing their facilities.

How does Penticton deal with users that live outside Penticton, own property and pay Penticton property taxes? The previous mentioned mayor and a current councilor fit in that slot.

Regardless, this has been kicked down the road for years, and without some definitive action, will be for years more. Chris Blann Naramata