Quesnel Council Highlights - Jan 23rd mtg

Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

Community Wildfire Protection Plan – Quesnel & Surrounding Area Mike Simpson, Senior Manager of the Fraser Basin Council, Bruce Morrow of Bruce Morrow Forest Consulting Ltd, and Erin Robinson, Regional Manager of the Fraser Basin Council, presented an overview of the Community Wildfire Protection Plan for the City of Quesnel and surrounding area. This Community Wildfire Protection Plan encompasses 88,572 hectares around the communities of the City of Quesnel, Lhatko Dene First Nation, Bouchie Lake, Ten Mile Lake, Kersley, Barlow Creek and West Fraser Road. The purpose of a Community Wildfire Protection Plan is to: Identify the wildfire risks within and surrounding a community  Describe the potential consequences if a wildfire was to impact the community Define the threat to human life, property and critical infrastructure from wildfires Identify measures necessary to mitigate threats  Outline a plan of action to implement measures  The Community Wildfire Protection Plan, when implemented should result in: Reduced likelihood of a wildfire entering the community  Reduced impacts and losses to property and critical infrastructure  Reduced negative economic and social impacts to the community  Council endorsed the Community Wildfire Protection Plan including the eleven recommendations contained within the Community Wildfire Protection Plan. Funding assistance for this Community Wildfire Protection Plan was received by the Union of British Columbia Municipalities and the Cariboo Chilcotin Beetle Action Coalition and was developed with significant stakeholder participation. Council also passed a resolution asking the Provincial government to pay 100% of the forestry fuel management prescription and treatments, as the Province is the landowner of these forests. Please visit the City’s website page that includes all of the reports, maps, and photographs regarding the Community Wildfire Protection Plan for the City of Quesnel and surrounding areas.

2018 City of Quesnel Operations Budget Council approved the City’s 2018 Operating Budget. The total taxation required is $15,160,443 an increase of 3.4% over 2017. This results in an increase of approximately $52 to the average residence (valued at $185,387), or approximately $28 per $100,000 of assessment. The average residence in Quesnel went up 3.8% in assessment in 2018. The increase to commercial business will be approximately $88 per $100,000 of assessment. Major and light industry taxation are frozen at 2015 levels, with 2018 being the last year of this tax framework. This budget could change slightly as the final assessments are released in March 2018 from BC Assessment.

Budget Online Survey The results are in from the City’s online budget survey held December 2017 regarding the City’s 2018 Preliminary Budget. The survey received 120 responses that is the best budget consultation response to date. Highlights from this survey’s respondents are: 82% were satisfied with what the City was doing 49% are willing to pay a tax increase to cover additional costs of the same or more services Respondents liked the option of an online survey to give input to the City’s 2018 Preliminary Budget, but noted that they felt more information was required about what services the City of Quesnel provides

Bylaws 1835 Election Procedures – Final Adoption 1836 Electoral Registration – Final Adoption 1837 Automated Voting Machines – Final Adoption 1838 Mail Ballots – Final Adoption 1842 Elected Officials Oath of Office – Final Adoption

Next Meeting 7:00 pm, January 30, 2018 – Regular Council Meeting