Osoyoos Town Council decided Tuesday to defer a decision to okay a three year lease with the Okanagan Regional Library for space at the Sonora Centre. The ORL pays about $40 thousand a year for rent and utilities on a formula that council believes may be outdated. The regional library service pays about $12 a square foot for rent and all utilities including water, sewer, light and heat.

Councillor C.J. Rhodes indicated that he believed that same formula might have been used previous to 2007 when the last lease was signed.

Mayor Stu Wells instructed staff to bring back a report quickly on utility costs by comparing bills from years back. Wells hinted that he believed that the cost of utilities has risen sharply over the years and to protect the public purse – the Town should not be out of pocket for such increases.

In Oliver – a new lease on the present space (shown below) has not been concluded with a private owner.