Award-winning response?

The City of West Kelowna thinks it deserves an award for how it responded to COVID-19.

City council will be asked Tuesday to authorize staff’s plan to apply for a Community Excellence award in the category of service delivery from the Union of B.C. Municipalities.

City manager Paul Gipps said the honour is deserved because of what he describes as the quick and effective way the municipality adjusted its operations at the onset of the pandemic earlier this year.

Measures including shutting down city facilities such as the swimming pool and recreation centres, limiting other municipal services, and holding council meetings online while still ensuring public input.

At the same time, the city kept issuing development permits and other building approvals.

“(This) resulted in some of the most productive months in our history,” Gipps wrote in a report to council. “This, of course, supports the economy and kept those in that industry working where many other individuals were unable to continue.”

Overall, Gipps said, the municipality’s response to the pandemic helped keep the spread of the virus in check.

Although council’s support is said to be necessary for the submission of the award application, the necessary paperwork has likely been submitted to the UBCM.

That’s because the application deadline was July 10. The UBCM says it will accept late nominations so long as the supporting council resolution is received by Aug. 14.