Wednesday, October 24, 2012

WL Council Highlights - Oct 23rd mtg

Present - Mayor Cook & Councillors Bonnell, Bourdon, Hughes, Rathor, Walters and Zacharias

Staff:

Geoff Goodall - Acting CAO
Cindy Bouchard - Manager of Legislative Services (Corporate Officer)
Ken MacInnis - Communications Coordinator
Tom Chung - IT Manager
Pat Higgins - Director of Finance
Geoff Paynton - Director of Community Services

Meeting called to order at 6:03pm

Agenda/Minutes from Oct 9th WL City Council meeting approved

Delegations:

1) Cariboo Youth Fiddle Society appeared before Council to play a couple of songs
2) RCMP Inspector Warren Brown & Safer Communities Coordinator Dave Dickson appeared before Council to give an update on crime

3) Dan Hutchins from Interior Roads appeared before Council to update Council on Interior Roads' Road Maintenance and Winter Preparedness Program

Business:

1) Council received for information the accounts payable computer cheque listings for the periods ending October 11 and 18, 2012

2) Council received the 2012 Third Quarter Economic Indicators Report for information.

Mayor Cook, on her own initiative, asked all media and members' of the public to leave WL Council Chambers immediately so Council could consider one item In-Camera relating to Rural Fringe Fire Protection. No motion was made to go In-Camera at that point

3) After some 57 minutes of very hostile debate, at times, between Mayor Cook and Councillors Bourdon and Bonnell -- Council resolved the following on the CRD Rural Fire Protection file:

a) The City of Williams Lake re-affirms its' support for an amalgamated fire protection agreement and will replace the provincial agreement and CRD Rural Fire Protection - Phase 1 and 2 agreements

b) That the new agreement be based on existing boundaries of the provincial fire protection agreement between the Province and the City

c) If the Nov 24th referendum results in fire protection boundary changes, that these changes be brought back to Williams Lake City Council for its' consideration

d) That the new agreement be based on a 5 year term with an option to renew for an additional 5 year term

e) That the City of WL/CRD have Joint Press Releases on this topic prior to the Nov 24th referendum to minimize public confusion

f) And the total cost be based on total net assessed values for all property classes, both in the City of Williams Lake and in specificied portions of CRD Areas D, E and F

The above resolution was agreed to by the following vote:

Yeas - Mayor Cook and Councillors Bourdon, Walters, and Zacharias
Nays - Councillors Bonnell, Hughes and Rathor

4) Council awarded the contract for the supply of dried bulk highway salt to McTar Division of Lafarge Canada Inc. for the tendered price of $126 per metric tonne (price based on a yearly consumption of 1,400 metric tonne.

5) Council referred to the 2013 budget process construction of a new salt shed as the last one was destroyed, due to a wind storm

6) Council authorize entering into a cost-sharing agreement with ICBC for the purpose of conducting a Sign and Pavement Marking Review; and further, the City's portion in the amount of $7,500 be taken from the sign maintenance account.

7) Council received a report from the City's Waste/Water Manager regarding new schedule of solid waste and recycling collection during the weeks that have Statutory holidays

8) Council received a report from the City's Waste/Water Manager regarding he success of the City of Williams Lake's Water Conservation Incentive Program

9) Council received a presentation from the City's Director of Community Services regarding Pool Feasibility Study - October 2012

10) The following Bylaws were adopted:

a) Permissive Property Tax Exemptions Bylaw No. 2166, 2012
b) Church Tax Exemption Bylaw No. 2167, 2012
c) 2013 Borrowing in Anticipation of Revenue Bylaw No. 2168
d) Zoning Amendment Bylaw No. 2162 - Dove Real Estate Ltd. - 12 Lakeview Avenue

11) Council referred a press release from the Ministry of Forests entitled "BC government responds to committee's timber supply report corrected Oct. 9, 2012 - 2011 forest product exports totalled $9.95 billion" to various forestry stakeholders' including CCBAC to discuss next steps

12) Council received a letter/petition regarding speed and traffic safety concerns on Foster Way and referred to City Staff for a report back to Council

13) Council received a letter/petition regarding speed and traffic safety concerns on Third Avenue at Marie Sharpe Elementary School and referred to City Staff for a report back to Council

14) Council will be sending a letter to Greyhound opposing the proposed cuts in Greyhound Bus Services. Read the letter here.  Councillors Bourdon, Bonnell and Hughes opposed

15) Council received In-Camera Report #9-2012 for information, as follows:

“That Council appoint the Executive Committee to work closely with the Manager of Human Resources to find the best possible candidate for the Chief Administrative Officer position and report back to council on what the recruitment process will be and keep council as a whole informed during the entire process.”

16) Council received the Council Information Package as follows:

• October 11, 2012 - District of Maple Ridge re FCM Campaign 'Target 2014: Building Our Future'; (Council to send a support letter on this as well)
• October 15, 2012 - FCM News for Week of October 8, 2012;
• October 2012 - BC Hydro re 'BC's Brilliant Energy Future Springs from an Old-Fashioned Idea'.

Council adjourned to an In-Camera, after a short recess, at 8:55pm

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