Council is being asked to approve a one-time grant to fund the Uptown Rutland Business Association (URBA) On Call pilot project.
The $130,000 grant will establish an On-Call Team to ‘enhance safety, cleanliness, and overall appeal of Uptown Rutland’ according to a staff report.
It would be similar to the Downtown On Call Team (DOC) operated by the Downtown Kelowna Association (DKA).
That program has received an annual grant of $70,000 from the city since 2008. The funding was increased to $100,000 in 2023.
The DOC carries out approximately 7,000 proactive calls for services from businesses every year, ranging from addressing loitering to providing first aid.
“It is well understood that many of these calls might otherwise have required responses from bylaw services and/or RCMP,” the report says.
The URBA pilot project will be tailored to address specific challenges in Uptown Rutland.
The one-time grant will allow the pilot to operate for one year, employing four full-time staff and a supervisor to provide patrols and response 15 hours a day in the summer and 12 hours in the winter.
First-year costs are estimated at $305,000 for which URBA has committed $50,000 and is seeking $125,000 through grants and community sponsorship.
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