Sicamous council agrees to sharing building inspector with Revelstoke

The District of Sicamous wants to share a building inspector with the City of Revelstoke.

At its Aug. 24 meeting, Sicamous council voted in favour of entering a partnering agreement with Revelstoke for the provision of building inspection services in both municipalities.

In a staff report to council, Sicamous development services manager Scott Beeching explains the district has relied on a contractor to provide building inspection services, noting the service has been excellent though the cost has been high. While hiring a full-time chief building official could provide some cost benefit to the district, Beeching said it is unlikely the district would have work for full time. However, through conversations with the City of Revelstoke, it was learned a chief building official is being sought for that municipality. Beeching said a partnership agreement would benefit both communities.

“The District of Sicamous would be able to continue to provide a high level of building inspection services to the community with some cost savings,” said Beeching.

The annual cost of a full-time chief building inspector is $105,000, inclusive of benefits. According to the agreement, Sicamous will be responsible for wages, benefits, expenses – all payments to the building inspector, or their alternate, if any. All hours of service to Revelstoke would be paid by the city to the district.

Staff explained the agreement is contingent on Revelstoke council also supporting the agreement. Staff said the district already has an applicant who is “more than qualified to do the job and enter into a partnership starting next week.”

Prior to voting, Coun. Malcolm Makayev asked who in Revelstoke would be signing off on the agreement should it be approved by the city’s council. Staff’s answer, that it would be the chief administrative officer (CAO), prompted some laughter at the council table with no further comment.

The City of Revelstoke recently announced it had hired Evan Parliament as interim CAO. Parliament had been the town manager for the District of Sicamous for more than six years. On July 5, the district issued a media release stating Parliament had ended his tenure effective immediately.

Read more:City of Revelstoke hires former Sicamous CAO on interim basis

Read more: District of Sicamous announces departure of town manager

Sign up for our newsletter to get Salmon Arm stories in your inbox every morning.