The Town of Osoyoos will continue its longstanding policy of providing a tax break to numerous non-profit organizations and churches in the community.

Town council has voted to forego about $223,000 in revenue in 2017 as it exempts a number of properties from payment of property taxes.

A motion to approve the first three readings of the tax exemption bylaw were passed by council on Monday and will officially be exempted when council is expected to pass the motion at its next meeting on Oct. 3.

The list of 24 exempted properties includes numerous Osoyoos churches and recreational and civic facilities.

Many of the properties are owned by the Town and are rented or leased by non-profit organizations.

The largest exempted amount is $76,676 for the property and land owned by the Town and leased to the Osoyoos Senior Centre and Osoyoos Museum Society.

The Osoyoos Golf Club will be exempted from paying $38,321 in property taxes for 2017.

Eight Osoyoos church properties will be exempted from paying $36,816 in property taxes.

Each year council updates their permissive tax exemption bylaw under the Community Charter and this year’s bylaw had to be changed due to last year’s closure of the Osoyoos Lake Lions Club.

Not charging property taxes allows non-profit organizations and local churches to continue to provide services to the residents of Osoyoos, said Mayor Sue McKortoff.

Organizations that have been exempted from having to pay property taxes include the Osoyoos International Curling Club, Lake Osoyoos Sailing Club, Osoyoos Golf Club, Osoyoos Senior Centre Association, Osoyoos Nursery School Society, Osoyoos Museum Society, Osoyoos Arts Council, Osoyoos Portuguese Canadian Cultural Club Society, Desert Park Exhibition Society, Destination Osoyoos Development Society, Osoyoos Boat Trailer Parking, Osoyoos Fire Department and numerous church properties.

“This is a good thing and people in the community should know about it,” said McKortoff, adding many of these organizations function on very limited budgets and giving them an exemption on paying property taxes allows them to continue to provide quality services to local residents. “People need to know this is a very big thing for the town to do.”

Town seeking support in effort for better regulation of boat and personal watercraft rentals

The Town of Osoyoos is going to get several partners to join them in writing a letter to the federal Minister of Transportation voicing their collective concerns over regulations relating to boat and personal watercraft rentals.

A young woman from Port Coquitlam was killed earlier this summer when a personal watercraft she had rented was involved in a collision with another rented personal watercraft.

Several weeks ago, members of Town of Osoyoos council voted in favour of sending a strongly worded letter to federal Minister of Transportation Marc Garneau voicing their concerns over the lack of regulations to rent boats and personal watercrafts in Canada.

Under current federal legislation, all you need to do to rent a boat or personal watercraft is to answer several questions on a questionnaire from a boat rental operator.

There have been two deaths and one serious injury from accidents on Osoyoos Lake over the past several years and council would like to see more stringent regulations put in place before anyone would be able to rent a boat or personal watercraft, said Mayor Sue McKortoff.

The town sought a legal opinion from the town’s lawyer and has decided to ask partners such as Destination Osoyoos, South Okanagan Chamber of Commerce, Osoyoos Indian Band, the local hotel and motel association and Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) to join them in writing letters to Garneau about this issue, said McKortoff.

“We would like to get our partners to send strongly worded letters to the minister,” she said.

Construction starting soon on homes at Richter Property as council approves $1.4 million sewer contract

Construction should begin soon on several new homes in the Richter Property after council approved a $1.4 million contract to begin installing sewer services to the Southeast Meadowlark subdivision in Osoyoos.

Two weeks ago, council approved moving forward with the Richter Property, which will be the first phase to be developed in the Southeast Meadowlark subdivision, which will stretch from 74th Avenue near the town’s new fire hall north towards Osoyoos Golf Course and the Osoyoos Baptist Church.

The Richter Property development is the first phase of the Southeast Meadowlark subdivision, which will eventually see the construction of more than 200 single-family homes as well as numerous townhouses, condominiums and affordable housing units over the next 15 to 20 years.

The Richter Property will see 24 single-family homes and two duplexes developed over the next several months.

Alain Cunningham, the town’s director of planning and development, said construction of the first four homes on the Richter Property, should begin soon while sewer infrastructure is being installed.

KEITH LACEY

Osoyoos Times