Quesnel Council Highlights - Dec 15th mtg

 Courtesy of the City of Quesnel:

Quesnel Downtown Business Improvement Association – Bylaw Levy Council provided the first and second bylaw readings for the City of Quesnel Downtown Quesnel Business Improvement Area Bylaw 1900 (“Bylaw”). By passing first and second readings of this Bylaw, Council has given approval of the Quesnel Downtown Business Association’s (“QDA”) proposed budget and proposed plans for 2021 and 2022. In January 2021, City staff will mail out to all of the businesses located within the QDA’s boundary, the QDA’s proposed 2021 and 2022 budgets/plans, along with an estimate of each business’s costs of the proposed Bylaw levy, and instructions for the petition process. Any QDA business opposing the continuation of the QDA, or the QDA’s proposed boundary expansion, will have 30 days to notify City Hall of their opposition against Bylaw 1900, once the mail out packages have been received by the QDA business in January 2021.

Healthcare Recruitment Program Update The City has signed a new 3-year contract for the City’s Healthcare Recruitment Program with the Cariboo Chilcotin Regional Hospital District. With this new contract, the City’s Healthcare Recruitment Coordinator will continue to welcome healthcare professionals, and their families, and support their settlement in Quesnel.

Baker Creek Freshet Recovery Plan Council was provided with a City Staff Report on the Baker Creek Freshet Recovery Plan (“Plan”), and additional photographs, that gives an overview of the damage caused during the Baker Creek Freshet event of 2020, recovery options, impact on residential properties (Hutchcroft Street/Baker Drive/Beaubien Avenue/Anderson Drive), and future risks from Baker Creek to City infrastructure. Council passed the following resolution that provides direction to City staff to: Relocate the City Sewer Mainline, that was damaged during the Baker Creek 2020 Freshet, away from Baker Creek; and Inform the potentially impacted residents about the City’s existing policies related to City riverbank protection works on private property, specifically that the City will not fund those works. In 2021, the City has the following projects related to Baker Creek: Replacement of Sewer Line - $2,000,000 - $1,400,000 funded by Disaster Financial Assistance; and Repair or Storm/Trails - $200,000 - $160,000 funded by Disaster Financial Assistance. To date the City has spent just over $500,000 in emergency response costs due to the Baker Creek 2020 Freshet event, and will continue to incur costs until the new sewer line is built. The majority of these costs have been covered by Emergency Management BC.

Bylaw Bylaw 1900 – Quesnel Downtown Business Improvement Association Bylaw Levy – First and Second Readings

Next Council Meeting 6:00 p.m. – January 19, 2021