By Don Urquhart, Times Chronicle
The Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) has announced the opening of voting on the purchase of a new corporate facility located at 3547 Skaha Lake Road in Penticton.
To finance the acquisition, the RDOS Board of Directors intends to borrow up to $10 million through the Municipal Finance Authority of BC. If adopted, Loan Authorization Bylaw No. 3106, 2025, would result in an estimated annual property tax impact of $6.16 for a residential property assessed at $500,000.
Assent of the Electorate is being sought through the Alternative Approval Process (AAP), which allows eligible electors to indicate opposition to the borrowing by submitting an Elector Response Form.
To prevent the borrowing from proceeding without a referendum, at least 10 per cent of eligible electors – 7,528 eligible voters in total – must submit completed Elector Response Forms to the RDOS Corporate Officer by the deadline of 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 31, 2025. Those unopposed to the purchase do not need to take any action.
Elector Response Forms are available at the RDOS main office or the RDOS Regional Connections interactive website or in person..
Eligible electors in Electoral Areas “A’ through “I”, Keremeos, Oliver, Osoyoos, Penticton, Princeton, and Summerland are eligible to register their objection.
The proposed purchase is located at 3547 Skaha Lake Road in Penticton. The proposed acquisition would allow the RDOS to consolidate three existing office locations into one centralized facility, improving operational efficiency and enhancing accessibility for residents across the region.
The new building would include a purpose-built Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) and a dedicated space for RDOS board and committee meetings.
In what the RDOS described as a “comprehensive due diligence process,” the new facility is expected to serve the community well into the future and it added that construction of an equivalent facility is estimated to cost considerably more than the purchase price of an existing building.
For further information, visit the Alternative Approval Process project page on the RDOS Regional Connections interactive website or contact RDOS Communications.
