Okanagan Falls Incorporation Study

There are many things to consider when determining if incorporation is the right choice for residents within the Okanagan Falls Study Area. The tax impact estimator (below) is a simple tool to give residents in the Study Area an estimate of the tax impact on their property if Okanagan Falls were to incorporate into a municipality.

To find out how your residential taxes would be impacted by incorporation, type your assessed property value into the teal-coloured cell where the cursor is already hovering. Once you enter a value into this box, the table will automatically estimate the tax impact of incorporation.

The "tax impact" is an estimate of the difference between local government taxes and user fees that would be paid under Option 1 (incorporation) and Option 2 (remain part of RDOS Electoral Area "D"), and only applies to properties with a residential assessment (Class 1) that are located within the Okanagan Falls Study Area. The resulting figure is not exact, but provides a close estimate of the impacts based on the assumptions included in the Okanagan Falls Incorporation Study analysis.

If you would like to see a more detailed version of this tax estimation (i.e. the details that went into making this simple estimator table), you can download this more detailed tax impact calculator here.

Please note: this tool works on Chrome and Firefox but may not work on Safari.

The Study team has prepared a summary of what will happen in the coming months and what the process would be IF a referendum is pursued. It is not assumed that a referendum will occur, but this information is provided nonetheless so that residents can know what to expect it that direction is ultimately recommended by the Study Committee and RDOS and accepted by the Province.

You can read the full document here. It covers topics like:

• Who decides if there will be a referendum?
• What happens in a referendum?
• Who would be eligible to vote in a referendum?
• What happens if the majority of electors vote against incorporation?
• What happens if the majority of electors vote for incorporation?

This document was prepared using information available at the time of writing.

Click to watch a video or view the draft minutes from the May 28 Committee meeting.

The next Committee meeting is May 28, 2024 at 6pm. The meeting agenda can be viewed here.

Among other things, the Committee will hear about:

• How taxes would compare between incorporation and remaining part of RDOS Electoral Area "D",
• The Provincial Offer of Assistance, which is the financial assistance the Provincial Government would offer Okanagan Falls if the community were to ultimately pursue incorporation,
• A proposed seven-year budget for a potential Okanagan Falls municipality, and
• How a referendum and incorporation would proceed

The Committee meeting will take place in person at the Okanagan Falls Recreation Centre (1141 Cedar Street) or you can attend remotely. To participate remotely, please click on the following link and use the following ID/passcode if prompted:

• https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86134433441?pwd=ojSUTgBuF3GUavQb0csIeyQZpd1WIg.1
• Meeting ID: 861 3443 3441
• Passcode: 450312

Currently, local roads in Okanagan Falls are owned by the provincial government and managed by the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure. There are almost 34 km of roads (excluding Highway 97) in the Incorporation Study Area, as well as two bridges, drainage infrastructure and road signage.

As part of the Incorporation Study, engineering consultants (Urban Systems Ltd.) conducted a Road Investment Review that assessed the physical condition of road surfaces within the Study Area and found that 11% are in good condition, 78% are in fair condition, and 11% are in poor condition.

If Okanagan Falls were to incorporate, local roads in the Study Area would become the responsibility of the new municipality. The municipality would have the power to change local road maintenance standards, plan capital road works, and give priority to walking and cycling. A new municipality would evaluate whether to have its own public works and roads crew or to contract the service out (or a combination).

The Road Investment Review, along with analysis on all the other local services, will help the Committee understand the costs and benefits related to potential incorporation. The Committee has one more meeting in May before the engagement phase where we will share the Study analysis and information with Okanagan Falls residents through mailouts and community events.

You can find the full Road Investment Review in the April 16, 2024 Committee agenda.

Confused about who's doing what and when the Incorporation Study wraps up? These two visuals will give you a quick summary of the Study timeline and participant roles. Click on each image to open the document.

At the next Committee meeting on April 16, 2024. The meeting agenda can be viewed here.

At this meeting, Urban Systems will attend to provide an overview and answer questions regarding the Roads Investment Review. This Review was prepared to: 1) assess the current condition of Okanagan Falls’ roads, and 2) estimate the budget that would be needed if Okanagan Falls incorporated to sustain the current service levels for road maintenance and renewal.

In addition, the Committee will review information about sewer, water, policing, and municipal administration under an incorporation scenario. The technical consultants will answer any questions about the Communication & Community Engagement Strategy.

The Committee meeting will take place in person at the Okanagan Falls Recreation Centre (1141 Cedar Street) or you can attend remotely. To participate over Zoom, please use this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84806468399?pwd=S2Vld1ZITE42YUhQbDAwOEFrM0VWQT09

• Meeting ID: 848 0646 8399
• Passcode: 125804

We are now seven months into the approximately year-and-a-half long Okanagan Falls Incorporation Study. Here's a recap of what's happened so far:

• In summer 2023, the Regional District of Okanagan-Similkameen (RDOS) hired technical consultants to analyze the financial and service implications of Okanagan Falls remaining as part of Electoral Area “D” or incorporating into a new municipality. RDOS also established a volunteer Committee of community members to impartially and objectively review the consultant’s Incorporation Study analysis, and, at the end of the process, to recommend to the RDOS Board whether to pursue a community vote on incorporation.
• The technical consultants have been doing detailed calculations to compare local government services that Study Area residents get now, what they cost now, and whether those services and their costs would change under incorporation.
• The Committee and technical consultants have met 3 times to review the consultants findings. There is another Committee meeting on April 16, 2024. Committee meetings are open to residents to attend in person or online.
• All materials that have been reviewed by the Committee are posted on the website and can be reviewed by the public - this includes meeting agendas, video recordings of Committee meetings, and Service Sheets (technical findings). Most documents are posted under the "Documents" tab on the right-hands side of this webpage.
• Rick Wilson, the Chair of the Study Committee, has published a monthly Incorporation Study update in each edition of Skaha Matters since October 2023, and will continue to do so during the remainder of the Study.
• Starting this summer and into fall 2024, there will be numerous events and written materials sharing Study findings with the community.

Have a question? See this article on how to post questions and have a member of the project team respond.

Do you have burning questions about the Incorporation Study? You are invited to post questions and the project team will respond.

To submit a question, click on the "Questions" tab next to the "News Feed" tab directly underneath the "Introduction" article at the top of this web page.

Then, fill in your question in the open text box and click "Submit."

Your question will be sent to the project team to prepare a response. It will take 2-3 business days for your question and a response to be posted on the "Questions" page.

Members of the Incorporation Study Committee are often asked "are you for or against incorporation?”

However, Committee members are committed to staying neutral, reviewing information in an objective way as it becomes available, and asking questions.

At no point during the Incorporation Study will Committee members declare support for or against incorporation. The Committee’s role is to support an unbiased process that culminates in a Committee recommendation for or against a community vote on the matter. For the Committee, the question is not whether Okanagan Falls should incorporate, but whether Okanagan Falls should hold a vote on incorporation.

Once all the technical findings are out in mid-2024, Committee members - and Okanagan Falls residents - will know: under incorporation, would my taxes change? Would I have access to different or improved services? How would a municipal council work?

When the Study findings are complete and have been shared with the community, the Committee will collectively determine whether it supports a community vote on incorporation, and will recommend to the RDOS Board of Directors whether to pursue a referendum.

Click to watch a video of the February 5 Committee meeting or view the February 5 Committee minutes.

The community Committee is made up of 10 Incorporation Study Area residents who guide the work of the technical consultants. They remain neutral about incorporation and ensure that technical work is thorough and unbiased.

The third meeting of the Committee is taking place from 6:00-8:30pm on Mon, Feb. 5, and the Committee will be reviewing this agenda.

While meetings are working sessions between the Committee and the technical consultants, residents may attend. At the end of the meeting (around 8pm), residents will be asked if they have any questions or comments on agenda items. Residents may attend the meeting in person, online, or by phone using the details below:

• In-person location: 1141 Cedar Street, Okanagan Falls (Okanagan Falls Community Centre Gym)
• Join the meeting online: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85781934246?pwd=bGRqR2EwMVlwM0t2cEoxWTNvMytPdz09
• Meeting ID: 857 8193 4246
• Meeting passcode: 115953