A move to renew an agreement between the Town of Princeton and the regional district for providing building inspector services drew sharp questions at council Monday night.
John Reynolds, who spoke from the small audience, challenged the efficiency of the deal.
“We should be able to find someone part-time, someone from Princeton,” Reynolds told councillors.
Council voted in favor of the three-year agreement, which contracts the RDOS to provide a building inspector two days a week for the municipality at the rate of $53.22 per hour.
In practice, according to CAO Rick Zerr, two inspectors visit Princeton once a week - one for business inspection services and one for residential.
One of those workers also receives mileage of $.55 per kilometer to drive between Penticton and Princeton.
Zerr explained that certified building inspectors are “in short supply” and the town would not likely be able to hire a qualified, part-time local person.
If such a position were created, he said, the costs would be similar to what Princeton currently pays now – between $40,000 and $50,000 a year.