City of WL appoints new Business Attraction/Retention Task Force

From the City of Williams Lake:

Editor's Note - Councillor Rathor, at Tuesday's WL Council meeting, expressed doubts that the Task Force can be up and running and report out by December 31st, given the number of regular meetings left in this term (Oct 4th/18th and November 1st, 15th, and 29th).  I agree with Councillor Rathor.  Better to wait until a new Council comes in and decides what to do with the BEAS

At its regular meeting Tuesday evening, Williams Lake City Council approved the establishment of a Business Expansion and Attraction Task Force (BEAS), to be comprised of two City Councillors and up to five members of the community.

The BEAS contains six Strategy Areas that are focused on moving the City towards its strategic objective of a larger and more diversified economy. Within each Strategy Area, there are a number of Strategic Initiatives, many of which will benefit from the support and/or leadership networks of other community partners to deliver. Examples include:

Reviewing the mill rates for major industry
Work with local mining companies to identify material suppliers they use which are located outside of the Cariboo, and engage these suppliers to see if there is potential to local offices or provide services from Williams Lake
Create an investwilliamslake.com website to effectively promote Williams Lake to key target markets and sectors
Helping to address local rail issues for industrial clients
Collaborate with merchants and land owners to enhance and strengthen the ongoing growth and attraction of retailers and commercial enterprises in the downtown.
Support Thompson Rivers University in developing its northern campus and
local program expansion, particularly as it pertains to attracting investment
from outside.

Implementation of or participation in these initiatives by other organization cannot be mandated by Council. Rather, Council needs to inform and educate those organizations which could play a role and solicit their participation through a common desire to see an improved economy in Williams Lake.

As such, the Striking Committee of Council will consider staff recommendations for membership to the Task Force, and will recommend up to five individuals that have related experience and an ability to influence others in the business community for Council as a whole to appoint. The Task Force’s term will end on Dec. 31, 2011.

“This is a major initiative to help improve our economy, and unique in that it will be driven by community members,” says Mayor Kerry Cook. “We all want to see the economy improved, and we all need to work together to make it happen. Partnerships are vital, and I know this Task Force will enhance the implementation of the BEAS and increase the involvement of the community in economic development.”

Council has adopted an Industrial Revitalization Strategy to encourage new industrial development to locate in Williams Lake and for local industries to expand, has committed to reviewing industrial mill rates with the aim of reducing them, and will undertake a community branding process. In addition, Council has introduced crime reduction strategies, invested in infrastructure and arts and culture to help create a positive atmosphere to attract and retain business.

For more information please contact:

Alan Madrigga - Economic Development Manager
The City of Williams Lake
Ph: 250 392-1764
Email: amadrigga@williamslake.ca

Items coming up on Tuesday - Committee of the Whole Meeting (WL Council)

A number of interesting items are coming forward at Tuesday's Williams Lake Committee of the Whole (Council) meeting, as follows (see the full Agenda here):

1) New Parks, Trail and Outdoor Recreation Master Plan.  See here.  The Plan calls upon Council, of all things, to ditch small parks, like Tot Park on 12th Avenue, Patrick Reid Park on Boundary Street and start planning for a 2nd municipal cemetery in the Westridge neighbourhood.  When the City starts to consult on the 2nd municipal cemetery idea in Westridge - I can see how that idea may get a cold shoulder by Westridge residents - I'm not too fond of that idea and we should have a list of alternate sites for a 2nd municipal cemetery (no list of alternate sites available in the Parks, Trails, and Outdoor Recreation Master Plan). 

Finally - the City Staff report on this item makes reference to the local Joint Committee.  Hopefully - this item will not be adopted at this meeting (City Staff are recommending this Parks, Trails, Outdoor Rec Master Plan be adopted), but again just receive and refer to Joint Committee for discussion and approval.  If not - the lesson learned over the Indoor Turf Facility business case tender clearly was not learned.  Finally - I wonder if Acting Mayor Geoff Bourdon or Mayor Kerry Cook, as Co-Chair of the local Joint Committee, made sure that the CRD Directors for Areas D, E, F were made aware of this item coming forward at Tuesday's Council Meeting.  It would have been the neighbourly thing to do...

2) Royal Canadian Legion Property Taxes - they are requested a 100% exemption.  See here.  They indicate that Salmon Arm/Enderby has given them 100% property tax exemption and Quesnel has also looked at this issue as well.  I really sympathize with them as they do a lot of work for Veterans and Cadets, but given the hard economic times this year (2 Sawmills down early this summer) in Williams Lake, it is not likely that Council will agree to their request

3) Property Tax Exemptions Policy - see here.  Although this new policy, if adopted, is a step in the right direction.  I would take a step further and say - let's have 3 year property tax exemptions.  Sure - you might have to tighten the requirements to qualify for a 3 year exemption, but then there would be admin efficiencies by not having to deal with exemptions, year after year.  Note - Quesnel Council has a similar 3 year property tax exemption policy with a public hearing on it so the public can provide input to Quesnel Council prior to approving the 3 Year Property Tax Exemption list

4) Rick Hansen Monument at TDC - see report from Alan Madrigga here.  Curious though - the report does not identify funding sources which would lead one to believe that City Staff are asking Council to consider putting money into this project.  Note - local residents' previously were not happy with Scott Nelson's Council when they invest money into statues by Lake City Ford and down by A&W on Highway #97, given the amount of money used