Customizing service arrangements: a study on regional district service establishment

This report seeks to determine why British Columbia’s regional district (RD) boards are not customizing service details more frequently when establishing shared services. Section 800.2 of the Local Government Act provides tools that can assist RD boards facilitate shared service customization. Customized service arrangements (CSAs) allow RDs to proactively address often-contentious service details in accordance with the unique circumstances of the service or participating areas. Research suggests that overall service financing details are being customized at a higher rate than service operation and administrative details. Reasons for low or non-adoption among RDs point to issues surrounding RD administrative and political capacity to recognize benefits and negotiate specific details. Recommendations suggest the Province provide a professional facilitator, upon request, to assist RD administration upfront in negotiating contentious serivce details. Further, the Province could offer an educational workshop to RD members and administration with a primary focus on service detail customization.