The Thompson-Nicola Regional District won the 2024 “Excellence in Governance” award at the 2024 Community Excellence Awards award for its commendable work on transparent communications and education on taxes.
The Service and Taxation Communication Materials were prepared as part of the TNRD’s 2024 budget process, to help inform taxpayers, Board members and the public about what TNRD services are provided in each of its 10 electoral areas and 11 member municipalities, and sharing exact costs of each service per each property.
Detailed infographics showed cost of services for each community, explaining “who does what,” and broke down complex rural tax notices. The TNRD provided timely and detailed updates for residents during the 2024 budget process with thorough website updates, newsletter updates mailed to rural addresses, and press releases.
The aim of the project was to encourage public participation in the 2024 budget, explain complex financial materials, and meet commitments to be transparent and accountable.
“For the past four years, under current leadership, the TNRD has worked extremely hard to overhaul its culture, and accountability and transparency are top of mind for our staff. Our work to present our annual budget and service information in a clear and transparent way is one example of that,” said Chief Administrative Officer Scott Hildebrand.
“I want to thank our Chief Financial Officer, Communications Manager, and several key staff members who put a lot of work into this project when we started from scratch in 2023. I’m proud of our entire staff team who work hard daily to provide efficient and exceptional service to our residents.”
“It was an honour to accept this year’s UBCM Award for Excellence in Governance on behalf of the TNRD,” said Board Chair Barbara Roden.
“One of the five priorities identified in the TNRD’s 2023-2026 Strategic Plan is Responsible Governance and Service Excellence. This award is both a recognition of our commitment to responsible governance and an encouragement to continue our efforts to bring transparency and accountability to all of our practices.
“A huge thank you goes out to the TNRD staff members who identified a way to make complex and sometimes confusing topics – property taxes, and who does what at all levels of government – clear and understandable to our residents.”
One of the objectives of the Community Excellence Awards is to encourage peer-to-peer learning among local governments, by highlighting exceptional projects. To learn more about the Thompson-Nicola Regional District’s taxation communication initiative, get in touch with CAO Scott Hildebrand or Communications Manager, Colton Davies.