WL Council Highlights - Oct 8th mtg

Courtesy of the City of Williams Lake:

Editor's Note -- Congratulations to the City of Williams Lake for live-streaming of its' October 8th meeting.  You can view the meeting video by clicking on the "video icon" for each of the Agenda Items here

CENTRAL NORTH CARIBOO HOUSING STUDY

Council unanimously approved the formation of a Technical Committee to oversee the Central North Cariboo Housing Study. The goal of the Housing Study is to collect data and to understand the true supply and demand for the full spectrum of housing types in the Central Cariboo.

Editor's Note -- As the Cariboo Regional District is funding $85,000 of the $100,000 for this study and there has been zero effort to discuss this with the Central Cariboo Rural Directors (Areas D,E,F,J,K) beforehand -- I will be presenting an item at the Cariboo RD Board Meeting of October 25th asking the Board to advise the City of Williams Lake of its' intention to withdraw its' financial support of $85,000 for this housing study and have Cariboo RD Staff to report back on a process for a housing study for the Electoral Areas, as required by the Province by April of 2022 and every 5 years thereafter

DEVELOPMENT APPROVAL PROCEDURES BYLAW

Council received the proposed bylaw revision which will provide streamlined processes and fewer administrative hurdles. It will result in shorter processing times. Staff will have the ability to move the applications forward more efficiently, thus improving the interaction with the general public and developers.

SOIL REMOVAL AND DEPOSIT BYLAW

Council received the proposed new bylaw, with attached public input for reading. It will be referred to the Ministry of Energy Mines and Petroleum Resources for approval and then brought forward for adoption. The new bylaw is aligned with Provincial best practices and the City of Williams Lake’s Official Community Plan.

2020 PRIDE IN THE PUDDLE

Following a request from the Williams Lake Pride Society, Council ratified support for the society's grant application to the Canadian Heritage’ ‘Local Festivals – Building Communities Through Arts and Heritage’ grant program through the Government of Canada. Furthermore, the City will provide support toward the events including the donation and coordination of barricades and waste pick-up during the parade and festivities in Boitanio Park.

APPROVING OFFICER

Council unanimously approved the appointment of Hasib Nadvi, Manager of Planning and Development as Approving Officer for the City of Williams Lake.

STREET LIST FOR 2020 ASPHALT REHABILITATION

Pursuant to the report from the Public Works Committee and the Senior Engineering Technologist, Council received the list of streets identified for asphalt rehabilitation in 2020, per the City’s Pavement Management System.

ANNUAL HALLOWEEN FIREWORKS & BONFIRE

Council unanimously approved the annual Halloween Fireworks Show and Bonfire to be held on Thursday, October 31, 2019, at 7:15 PM at the Williams Lake Stampede Grounds. This will be the 40th annual Halloween Fireworks Show and Bonfire. The community is highly encouraged to attend.

11th AVENUE WIDENING

Pursuant to the report from the Public Works Committee and the Senior Engineering Technologist, Council approved the project of Eleventh Avenue Widening with an estimated completion of Fall 2020.