This week RDOS Directors began a process to cut costs in a proposed budget for 2014 that will be debated and given first reading next Thursday.

A staff plan to standardize regional district fire department payrolls ran into opposition from directors who had little appetite for the hefty tax increases the plan would have imposed on several fire department budgets.

The administration had proposed a three tier model based on call volume. It offered stipends of $8,000, $12,000 and $15,000 for fire chiefs, depending on the number of service calls the department had on an annual basis. Officers would also be subject to a tiered rate of pay, and non-officers would receive a rate of $20 per hour, across the board. The rate structure, it was suggested, could be implemented over a four year period.

The proposal would have enormous tax implications for two of the regional district’s smallest fire departments, Tulameen ($ over $65) and Willowbrook (over $233).

(Presently, neither department pays stipends or wages to their firefighters.)

Oliver rural Director Allan Patton noted that his area was looking at a 10 per cent increase, without the new fire pay.

The definition of regional firefighters – as  to their status as employees of the regional district, or volunteers was argued.   Emergency Services Supervisor Dale Kronebusch says that the recent safety audit illustrated the need for departments to perform certain administrative duties and therefor the work should be paid for.

The move to standardize all regional fire departments for equipment, procedures and other categories, are being prompted by the safety report, Kronebusch added.

The RDOS board agreed to form a committee to make changes to the proposal in time for the December 19 budget meeting.

Cut or reduced item:

$50,000 – provision of funds for economic development to begin the adjustments.

$23,600 – a .5 FTE request for additional bylaw enforcement denied

$73,000 – the removal of a year long full time position for an Occupational Health and Safety Officer

$15,655 –  towards the Climate Action Plan removed

$25,000 – an additional $25,000  to fund a Communications Manager position was also overturned by the board

Grant requests totalling $37,000 were approved for the Healthy Living Society, the Meadowlark Society and the Okanagan Film Festival, while a $5,000 request to Shatford Centre was denied.