Quesnel, Williams Lake and 100 Mile Municipal Councils' are meeting next week as follows:
Monday, Jan 23rd - City of Quesnel
Committee of the Whole Meeting at 7pm in Quesnel Council Chambers - 2nd Floor, 410 Kinchant
See the Agenda/Reports here
Editor's Note - Quesnel Council will be asked to apply to NDIT (Northern Development Initiative Trust) for a couple of grants relating to Ec Dev Capacity Building Grant for $30,000 as well as a Grant Writing support grant of $7,500. I think WL Council should also try to apply for these grants as it'll likely match some of the priorities of the 2011-14 WL Council. See the Quesnel Council Staff report here
Meanwhile - Quesnel Council will be asked to deny a request from the local Ramada Inn owner for financial compensation for losses suffered during the recent construction on St. Laurent Avenue last year. But as Quesnel City Manager John Stecyk notes - Section 25 of the Community Charter prohibits the direct financial support of businesses by a local City Council
Tuesday, Jan 24th - City of Williams Lake
Regular Council Meeting at 6pm in WL Council Chambers - 450 Mart St
See the Agenda/Reports here
Editor's Note - if Mayor Cook has her way, both her and City of WL CAO Brian Carruthers will be off to the FCM Conference in Saskatoon, SK on June 1-4, 2012 at a combined cost for Mayor Cook/CAO Carruthers of $6,744.90 for hotel, travel, conference registration, meal/incidental and Mayor compensation costs.
You can read the full report for yourself here but based on the FCM Agenda available right now and as a City taxpayer - I don't see value for the $6,744.90 and somewhat flies in the face of the City reducing expenditures in 2012 vs 2011 of 3% for the City of Williams Lake 2012 Budget and in fact, the City should get out of FCM altogether as it is not a necessity to City business or political needs, given there is still access to FCM via the City of Quesnel or Cariboo Regional District and its' members' attending FCM Conferences
Tuesday, Jan 24th - District of 100 Mile House
Regular Council Meeting at 7 pm in 100 Mile Council Chambers - 385 Birch Avenue
Agenda/Reports are not presently available
SBF
3 comments:
Steve you should know that not attending these events is craziness. As much as you'd like to think WL can benefit through the CRD or Quesnel attending you are dead wrong. They are there for themselves as they know the drill too.
Like it or not, these meetings are where business gets done, or at the very least, started. Not being there means less chance at grants, less attention from Ministers, less, less, less...
Is it right? No. Should it be changed? Yes. But until that happens it would be pure folly not to be there and a small investment hat needs to be made.
I agree, we need to be represented at these events. Squeaky wheels, you know?
Brian Carruthers should not go to FCM. He spends way too much time travelling and we do not seem to get the returns from his travels. He is always trying to get on Provincial Committee's etc so that he can 1) boost his ego or 2) pad his resume'.
The man does not know how to run a City and once again I challenge Mayor and Council to explain why the taxpayers are paying for Mr. Carruthers to take Local Government Administration courses...in order to get a certificate in Local Government Administration. Name one other position in the City where they got their education paid for by us. Mechanics have to have their ticket before being hired yet Brian get his education paid for. If you add up the tuition, meals, transportation, accomodation we are on the hook for almost ten thousand dollars per course.
Not bad for a guy who let the Firehall budget go over, never ensured that the tourism grant from UBCM was followed through on thereby causing the City to default on the grant.
Mayor and Council you talk about fiscal responsibility...show us you mean business and review Mr. Carruthers travel and training budget. For that matter review all the managers...they should have to restrict themselves to one trip etc like so many other communities in tough times.
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