Kelowna

RDCO sets goals for the year

Jon Manchester - Jan 28, 2015 / 8:00 am | Story: 131556

The Regional District of Central Okanagan sets out its priorities for the year in its just-published annual review.

The district’s programming and service game plan for 2015 includes:

Photo: Contributed

Construction of a new Mission Creek intake for the Falcon Ridge water system and a new outfall from the Westside regional wastewater treatment plant.
Review several programs including the RDCO fire service, victims services, CrimeStoppers and crime prevention programs and report findings for board consideration.
Conduct reviews of and updates to the zoning bylaw, Rural Westside Official Community Plan and environmental inventories and mapping.
Engage public and stakeholders to help create management plans for Woodhaven Nature Conservancy and Black Mountain/ Sntsk‘il’ntən regional parks.

The 43-page publication "explains what the regional district is all about. We are the local government for residents in the Central Okanagan East and West electoral areas and a service provider to the municipalities of Kelowna, Lake Country, Peachland and West Kelowna for programs such as dog control, recycling, false alarm reduction and 911," says Bruce Smith, RDCO communications officer.

The 2014 annual review also highlights many of the programs and services provided in the Central Okanagan during the last year.

Of note, a total of 140 building permits were issued, with a total value of $18,351,930.

Of the regional volunteer fire departments, Ellison’s was by far the busiest, with 110 callouts. That was followed by Joe Rich at 75, North Westside with 66, and Wilson’s Landing, 25.

Dog complaints kept bylaw enforcement staff hopping, with a total of 2,366 complaints responded to.

The total number of dogs licensed in the area is 19,815, and 823 tickets were handed out for violation of the district’s dog bylaw; 669 canines were impounded, 256 of those unlicensed. Eighty-six dogs were sent to the SPCA for adoption, and four were euthanized.

In other bylaw news, residents weren’t shy about complaining about their neighbours.

Fourteen untidy or unsightly property complaints were fielded, and 663 about weeds. Of those, 389 property owners were ordered to clean up their weedy grounds. Sixty-one times, a contractor had to come out and do the job, and then the owner was billed for the work.

On the positive side, 210 business licences were issued.

The regional district’s population now sits at 179,839, according to the latest census. The breakdown is as follows: