By Madeline Baker, Times Chronicle

Osoyoos town council received a draft of the 2021 Annual Report at a special meeting on May 31. The annual report contains reports from all the town’s directors as well as audited financial statements and a current Statement Of Financial Information (SOFI). 

Some points of interest from the year include:

  • One of the largest changes seen in 2021 was a shift in the town’s boundaries. Eight properties in the Yale district of Similkameen land district were included within the town’s boundaries, with jurisdiction for service within the air transferred from the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) to the Town of Osoyoos.
  • Hosting council meetings on the iCompass streaming platform, then archiving them on the town YouTube channel, gave council a unique look into viewer demographics with surprising results: “The average viewer was between the age of 25-34 years of age, with the next highest percentage being those 35-44 years old,” said the report. This news may give some hope to people who worry about the town’s aging population and composition of most civic committees.
  • Town council saw record numbers at a virtual public hearing on May 18, which drew 60 residents via Zoom and 112 e-mail responses from the community to discuss an amendment to the definition of a recreational vehicle.
  • Traffic violations required by far the largest amount of bylaw enforcement in the fourth quarter of the year with 68 warnings issued. Animal control also had a busy fourth quarter with 33 calls related to troublesome dogs, 26 of those being dogs at large and three being aggressive. Unsightly premises calls came in third place, with 18 warnings given and one letter issued.
  • The town generated just under $16 million in revenue in 2021 through a combination of land or service sales, taxation, grants, fees, and other sources, with $3.5 million net revenue after expenses. This was thanks in part to increases in municipal taxes, residential water usage fees, sewer user fees, and garbage and recycling fees.
  • Funds generated by grants totalled just over $3 million and included grants from the federal and provincial governments for community works, summer job creation, and work on street lights and sewer systems among others.
  • 2021 was, as everyone in the province knows, an extremely difficult year for firefighters at every level. Within Osoyoos, fire crews were called to a record-breaking 274 incidents, including a structure fire early in the year that ended with the homeowner’s death despite their rescue.
  • Meanwhile, the RDOS had 74 wildland fires within its jurisdiction, including the devastating Nk’Mip fire that burned over 19,335 hectares and resulted in evacuation alerts and orders in many places, including Osoyoos. The fire department, as stated in their report, “stood with a strength and a tenacity that allowed us to successfully manage a difficult year.”
  • Though concerns about the housing shortage in Osoyoos, particularly a dearth of rental properties, have continued into 2022, there were several promising residential developments approved in 2021. Subdivisions on Lobelia Drive and Sawgrass Drive, new developments on Lakeshore Drive, Cottonwood Drive, Olympic View Drive, and 89th street, as well as the ongoing Meadowlark Drive project, stand to bring a variety of new housing types including guaranteed 10-year rentals.
  • Local small businesses saw a boost in numbers, with 311 municipal businesses licenses renewed, 55 new municipal licenses granted, and 35 inter-community licenses renewed or granted in 2021.
  • Council took the controversial step of approving the installation of water meters on all domestic services as a last resort to encourage water conservation throughout the spring and summer. The town also applied for funding to design and construct a water treatment plant as manganese levels in the potable water supply became too high to ignore.
  • Construction contracts were awarded for the Weigh Scale and Associated Site Works project and the Desert Park RV site upgrade project, with Newport Structures and Metler Toledo taking over the first and Ondrus Construction handling the second, at a combined cost of just over $350,000.
  • Many structural improvements were planned or made to recreational areas in 2021, including a new pedestrian only plaza, a story walk on the Canal Trail, new washrooms at Legion Beach and Osoyoos Park, gazebos at the splash park and dog park, and new gates for the boat trailer parking lot of Bayview Crescent.
  • Specific improvements to increase the town’s accessibility included an accessible access point at Gyro Beach, adaptive equipment for the community weight room, and a scent garden for Pioneer Walkway.
  • Recreational offerings were many and varied throughout the year: public skating, pickleball, volleyball, yoga, archery, and fitness classes including Zumba and even parkour were offered to help residents maintain their physical and mental health during the continuing pandemic conditions, while children could enjoy the Cactus Kids Day Camp, Spring Break Camp, and hockey and figure skating camps.
  • Meetings continued between BC Transit, RDOS, and municipal directors to develop the South Okanagan Transit Future Action Plan. A new, larger bus was added to the local transit fleet to allow for physical distancing on the local route and Osoyoos/Penticton connector without losing too much passenger space.
  • Community services grants totalling just under $59,000 were approved by council to assist non-profit groups with events, one-time projects or costs related to insurance.
  • Now that council have approved the report with no changes necessary, it will be made available for members of the public to review. Residents will be able to submit feedback and ask questions about the report at a future meeting to be announced at a later date.

All residents are encouraged to view the finalized report themselves, as this is only an overview of its contents.