City of Penticton Council highlights for August 22

Support for expanding camera program

A plan to add 18-monitored cameras for public safety was introduced to Council.

After receiving a presentation from the Downtown Penticton Business Improvement Association and the Penticton & Wine Country Chamber of Commerce, Council supported the idea of expanding the camera program and directed staff to include $150,000 in the budget for deliberations in November.

DPBIA executive director Brett Turner says the program currently in place throughout the downtown is working and it makes sense to include more of the City. “Our goal and objective is to take what we've learned from the program and expand it citywide,” he said.

A security committee, run by the Chamber of Commerce, will involve a large number of community partners and will determine the locations of the cameras.

Tree Canopy plan endorsed

Council has endorsed an Urban Forest Management Plan that recommends a target of 18 per cent City-wide canopy cover by 2045.

Staff also received direction to incorporate the Urban Forest Management Plan into the next review Official Community Plan to support Council’s vision of a livable and accessible community.

Ysabel Contreas, the City’s parks planning and capital projects co-ordinator, noted the current urban forest structure consists of mostly small trees, although medium to large trees make the most significant contributions to the canopy.

The required resources to support implementation will be included in the upcoming budget deliberations.

For more on the Urban Forest Management Plan, click here

Planning for twin-pad arena proceeds

Council accepted a report that outlined plans for the development of a twin-pad arena on the site of the South Okanagan Events Centre site.

The work is part of the City’s Civic Places and Spaces plan, which is designed to look at the long-term needs of Penticton’s amenity assets and infrastructure.

For more information, click here

New utility rates proposed for 2025.

New utility rates – covering electric, water, sewer and storm water – for 2025 were given first, second and third reading by Council.

The average homeowner will see a total increase of $22.11 a month and the average business will see an increase of $128.13.

The 2023 Utility Rate Review provided proposed rates for the 2024 through 2027 years. As the forecasted 2024 utilities revenues are currently on track to meet 2024 revenue requirements, it is proposed that the 2025 rates provided in the Utility Rate Review be incorporated to stay aligned with the long-term strategy for the four utilities.

Fees and charges are typically set in advance of financial plan preparations as they directly inform budgeted revenues and are an important component in finalizing proposed Five-Year Financial Plans each year. The revenue changes resulting from these rates will be incorporated into the 2025-2029 Draft Financial Plan and related budget materials.

More community grants

Several groups received 2024 in-year grants under Penticton’s municipal and special events grant program.

The groups are:

·         $1,750 in-kind to The Penticton Centre for Exceptional Learning;

·         $2,472 cash to Good Samaritan Canada

·         $3,400 cash to The Penticton & Area Access Centre; and

·         $1,027 in-kind to the Penticton Firefighters Charitable Society.

These highlights are intended to provide a brief summary of recent Council proceedings. The summary is not inclusive of all agenda items. For a detailed account of the full agenda, including staff reports, other supporting documents and official meeting minutes, click here.