At its regular meeting on April 23, Cache Creek council discussed the Downtown Visioning Project, noting that the final report collecting together results from recent stakeholder meetings was due soon and that the next step after that—doing the planning and finding the financing—would be a big one.
The Village has been without a permanent Chief Financial Officer since July 2018, but it was noted that the position has been filled, and that Christina Martini—an accountant and engineer—would be starting in the position as of April 29.
During the review of policies and bylaws, CAO Martin Dalsin said that the Village’s Official Community Plan, Zoning Bylaw, and Subdivision Servicing and Development Bylaw all needed updating, with the zoning bylaw in particular needing a major overhaul. He also said that the Village needed one bylaw with all the rates and fees on it, as most of them were out of date. Dalsin added that work on many of these major bylaws would probably be contracted out, as they were huge tasks, but said that he hoped work on updating the rates and fees could start in-house this fall.
The free spring pick-up by Village crew was discussed, and it was reported that the earliest it could happen was May 30. Guidelines will be drawn up and advertising carried out.
The Graffiti Days committee had several requests for the Village to assist in the annual event, including a one-time grant for up to $2,000 to assist with expenses and an additional grant of up to $2,500 for initiatives to promote the event. It was noted that the asks were all similar to those of previous years.
Cllr. Annette Pittman raised concerns about the amount of the financial ask, noting that it would exceed the Village’s annual Grant-in-Aid budget, and questioned whether or not the Village could afford it. “There is no money tree,” she said. “The budget is stretched already—where will the money come from?
“We need to be more accountable and more financially responsible. We have to show fiscal restraint. There’s no landfill anymore, and there will be reduced income when it’s open again.” She also noted that the Graffiti Days committee is not a registered society, and questioned whether or not they were eligible to receive funds under the Grant-in-Aid policy.
Mayor Santo Talarico noted that she had good points. “If the landfill was up and running it would be different. But if we make changes [to the funding] now, will [Graffiti Days] be here next year? The points are valid for 2020.”
Dalsin said that the money was expected after so many years, and not receiving it at this late date would be a major blow. “It would cause extreme hardship if it stopped suddenly. We need to give them a heads up.” When questioned by Pittman about where the money would come from, Dalsin replied that he was still working on the budget. “I can find a few hundred dollars here, a few hundred dollars there. We can afford this.”
When Cllr. Wendy Coomber pointed out that many Cache Creek businesses need the event, Pittman asked if that was true without the Langley Loafers drag racers taking part, saying that numbers have been down in recent years, and asking how much support of the event came from businesses. Cllr. Sue Peters attested that the event was still huge for the town and its businesses.
“Yes, the numbers are down. It’s not as big, but it’s still big. To lose Graffiti Days would be terrible for this town. Businesses support it to the best of their ability. At this late date, to pull funding would be devastating for the committee.”
The motion to approve the requests was eventually approved. However, a separate motion was then made, to the effect that the Graffiti Days committee be sent a letter indicating that the Village is facing financial challenges and that funding might not be available in future. The motion passed.
Council then considered a report by Cllr. Coomber regarding the establishment of an Off-leash Dog Park in the northern part of the Cache Creek park. Staff were directed to obtain additional information from the Thompson-Nicola Regional District and the Agricultural Land Commission to determine if an OLDP can be established in the park extension.
A report from CAO Dalsin noted that the process of bringing the park expansion within the municipal boundaries was in progress. Other items in the report included the information that Cllr. Peters is looking into a Block Watch program, that a Grant-in-Aid would be provided to The Equality Project to pay their 2019 water, sewer, and garbage fees and that another Grant-in-Aid would be provided to them to pay their 2019 property taxes, subject to receiving confirmation that the Project is required to pay property taxes and utilities for the building.
Repairs to the runway at the Campbell Hill airport, to enable Old Time drag racing there during Graffiti Days, have been cancelled due to the projected cost ($20,000), the lack of allocation of funding, and lack of time to find grant funding.
The next meeting of Cache Creek council is on Monday, May 13 at 7 p.m.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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