The Village of Ashcroft is once again asking Clinton and Cache Creek to fund a joint community bylaw officer, this time to promote COVID-19 public awareness and public compliance with public health orders.
Funding for the full salary of a bylaw officer is available through Emergency Management BC (EMBC) but only during the “provincial emergency declaration.” Ashcroft likely does not have a high enough work demand to employ a full-time bylaw officer, but given the current public health climate, hiring a bylaw officer with EMBC funding increases the possibility that the other two communities might be interested in taking part.
Staff had previously approached Cache Creek and Clinton regarding a joint community bylaw officer, but they were not interested.
A staff report suggests funding a bylaw officer through EMBC could be a starting point for the Village employment of a long-term bylaw officer, to enforce Village bylaws beyond the present state of public emergency. The bylaw officer may also be valuable in its ability to support local RCMP.
Mayor Barbara Roden said given the provincial state of emergency and new COVID-19 enforcement measures, the other communities may have changed their minds.
“While the three communities are quite unique and each one might have different challenges in terms of bylaws, COVID is something all of us are dealing with at the moment,” she said.
Council agreed that if the neighbouring communities are not interested, staff should draft a plan on how a bylaw officer would be utilized solely within the Village.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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