Osoyoos Town Hall (File photo)
By Vanessa Broadbent
Osoyoos Times
A byelection to fill a vacant water councillor position on Osoyoos town council will cost taxpayers $15,000.
The position opened at the beginning of July when Kuldeep Dhaliwal, elected by acclamation in 2018, was disqualified after missing more than four consecutive meetings. Water councillors are required to attend one meeting each month.
The byelection will choose someone to serve the remainder of the term until 2022.
However, council is considering removing the position all together. In July the town sent a letter to the Regional District Okanagan-Similakmeen asking its board to consider creating a service area for Osoyoos’ water district users, currently represented by the two water councillors. The RDOS has yet to respond to the town’s request.
• Read more: Disqualification of water councillor sparks discussion about removing position
The town is still required to fill the vacant seat, and on Monday council voted to allocate $15,000 to cover byelection costs.
The proposed budget allocates $1,550 in remuneration for a chief election officer, $2,000 for advertising and $5,005 for contingencies.
Council also appointed deputy corporate officer Brianne Hillson as chief election officer, and director of corporate services Janette Van Vianen as deputy chief election officer.
The election will take place on Nov. 2, with two advanced voting options on Oct. 23 and Oct. 30.
