The issue of an incorporation study for Okanagan Falls was the topic of interest at last week’s town hall meeting in that community.
It was difficult to gage the degree of sentiment, pro or con, of residents at the gathering to the prospect of having Okanagan Falls become a village.
However, at Area “D” Director Tom Siddon’s request for a show of hands on the issue, it would probably be fair to say that there appeared to be roughly equal votes for and against the propect.
Based on the meeting, it appears residents are ready to look at a provincially funded study for incorporation, at the very least.
It was interesting to note that two speakers from the audience - one a former municipal staffer and another who was a former councillor - warned those present about the costs inherent in incoporation, costs related to infrastructre through administration and the various new responsibilities the community would be responsible for. The former municipal staffer felt that the study was necessary in order to make an informed decision, but also had reservations that the cost of incorporation would be too high.
Should the province decide to fund a study in the coming weeks or months, it will be interesting to see what information will ultimately be provided.
There was a strong sentiment at the meeting that the cost of incorporation had to be revealed before an informed decision could be made. Hopefully if a study is done it will include an easy to understand breakdown of the cost of incorporation - because at this point in time, that appears to be the biggest issue factoring into the descision that Okanagan Falls residents may ultimately have to face.