West 琉璃神社 has signed an agreement with FortisBC that will secure a long-term revenue stream for the community, and add a 3.09 per cent charge on natural gas bills for customers.

鈥淭he City of West 琉璃神社 was the only municipality in the Okanagan Valley that did not have a FortisBC operating agreement,鈥� said Mayor Gord Milsom in a media release. 鈥淯ntil now, this had put our municipality on an uneven playing field, since other local governments could use the revenue generated from the operating agreement to meet a variety of community needs, where we could not.鈥�

The 3.09 charge is the same rate as in other Okanagan Valley communities that have had similar agreements in place for decades, according to the release.

The city will receive fees from FortisBC for its operations in West 琉璃神社, estimated at $570,000 per year. The funds will help offset future tax increases by allocating them to park land acquisition, recreation amenities, active transportation infrastructure, seniors鈥� housing, wildfire mitigation, and accessibility improvements.

鈥淭he operating fee revenue certainly helps, but council and staff will also continue to seek other revenue sources, including our continued lobbying efforts with the provincial and federal governments,鈥� Milsom added.

Those efforts include support to address housing affordability, policing costs, homelessness, and other significant issues that stretch beyond our city鈥檚 control and impact other services, Milsom noted.

The agreement also benefits FortisBC, streamlining its operations in West 琉璃神社. The company expects to reduce customer wait times, improve construction scheduling, and create a more consistent process for installing, maintaining, and operating gas lines and related infrastructure within public roads, properties, and rights-of-way.