Saturday, February 11, 2012

Next Wk's Local Gov't Business...

City of Quesnel: - Full Agenda here

* Should those not on City water, but live in the City be compensated for using the Bulk Water Station? - Read Staff report here

* Councillor Mike Cave says: "Per bag" levy should be levelled at those who use plastic bags on a "one time" basis - read his 2012 NCLGA (North Central Local Gov't Association) AGM Resolution here

City of Williams Lake:

In Committee of the Whole: - Full Agenda here

a) Woodland Drive Water/Sewer - as I noted earlier - the City was refused a grant for this project and Council needs to decide if they'll move forward with this project as City Staff will recommend that a grant not be re-applied for as it'll likely get rejected again.  Staff lay out the options to Council in a report here

Editor's Note - In discussing the above with my readers' - some want Council to go ahead with this project immediately and borrowing for it via counter-petition and with some wanting a full referendum on the borrowing of $3.5 million.  Some others I've talked to are concerned about the implication of putting water/sewer on Woodland Drive could trigger those on Dog Crk Rd (inside City boundaries) or up on Fox Mountain to ask for the same considerations.  I'm not convinced at this point that residents' in these two areas would ask for what Woodland Dr residents' have asked for (the City, to the best of my knowledge, has not heard from those on Dog Crk Rd/Fox Mountain asking for water/sewer), given the extreme high infrastructure costs to bring water/sewer services to residents' on Dog Crk Rd/Fox Mountain.  Last estimate I saw in 2004 was $5 million for domestic water for those on Dog Creek Rd

b) Dog Park -- Council had earlier asked Staff to report on options to implement a Dog Park in the City.  Top three areas in the City for a Dog Park include Boitanio Park, Williams Lake Stampede Grounds and the Williams Lake River Valley.  Another site under consideration is the proposed Oliver Street Trailhead.  Costs to implement include $18,000-$20,000 to put in infrastructure but doesn't include on-going yearly costs.  Pros/Cons of each site considered are laid out.  Read the report here

c) NCLGA Resolution (Infrastructure Grant) - the City will try again to get Victoria to understand infrastructure grant restrictions are too severe and needs to be loosened up.  Read the proposed Resolution here

d) Fee for Service Agreement Request (Social Planning Council) - the Social Planning Council is asking for a $5,000 Fee for Service Agreement with the City.  Read the request here.  With the City's 2012 Budget has tight as WL Council says it is - I'm curious to see how Council will deal with this, at Tuesday's Budget Discussions...

e) Council will also have a discussion on Budget Meetings... just unfortunate that it doesn't indicate what the nature of those discussions will be...

At Budget Meeting #3... Full Agenda here

a) Council will continue from Jan 31st its' 2012 Operations/Capital Budget discussions and its' 2012-2016 5 Yr Financial Plan Discussions.  See the Agenda/background information here.  Staff note an initial tax increase of 3% with transfers to Pavement Management Plan and new Capital Infrastructure Reserve.  Hopefully discussions will be more polite than Jan 31st and the public in attendance will get an opportunity to provide oral input to Council on its' 2012 Budget/2012-2016 5 Year Financial Plan, unlike on Jan 31st, when that Budget Meeting adjourned and thus denying 7 people a chance to provide oral comments on the City's proposed 2012 Budget at that meeting

Cariboo Regional District: - Full Agenda here

a) Request from Interior Health for its' 2012/13 Fiscal Year as follows:

Mammography System for the Cariboo Memorial Hospital ($400,000)
 Nurse Call System for the Cariboo Memorial Hospital ($76,000)
 Resident Bus for Deni House ($44,000)

Read the full report here

b) 2012 NCLGA Resolutions as follows:

1. Fencing of agricultural interface;
2. Fencing adjacent to highways;
3. Release of dangerous offenders; and
4. Protection of aquifers & potable water sources
5. Improve EA Director Session at UBCM

Read the full report here

c) CRD Staff to recommend that the Board re-apply for water/sewer capital infrastructure for the Mountview area.  Read here.  Editor's Note -- interesting that CRD Staff seems much more confident that re-applying may be successful in comparison to their colleagues at the City of Williams Lake


d) 2012 Town Hall Mtg Minutes - Read here.  Town Hall Survey results to be available next week.  Interesting that Area 'D' Director Deb Bischoff took heat at her Jan 31st Town Hall Meeting for her stance not to attend Central Cariboo/City of WL Joint Committee Meetings as well as CRD Area 'D' residents looking for better coordination between CRD, City of WL and SD #27 so that residents' are forced to choose 1 meeting when these 3 organizations had meetings on the same night and residents' wanted to attend all three

e) NDI Trust reps to appear before the Board to review funding policies and how NDI Trust funds are handled

f) Building Stats for December 2011 are in and City of WL had $12,780,781 of building permits value with $11,964,600 in December 2010.  See full breakdown here

g) Finally - with Victoria calling for applications for 5 positions on the Audit Committee that looks after the Auditor-General for Local Government, CRD Area 'F' Director Joan Sorley will propose that the Board back her application for one of the 5 positions on the Committee.  See her request here.  I applaud this request from Joan Sorley as she would, in my opinion, be a high-quality member of the Audit Committee.  I fully expect, at this point, that the Board will fully endorse the request of Director Sorley as it has no cost to local taxpayers'

No comments: