Coun. Lisa Dafoe was the only member not present at the Cache Creek council open meeting on Monday, Sept. 14, which began at 4:30 p.m.
Meeting minutes
Coun. Annette Pittman was the only person opposed to adoption of the minutes from the Sept. 14 meeting, after Mayor Santo Talarico asked that they be clarified to state that Pittman had not produced a copy of the tax letter she received, and which had previously (Aug. 17 and Sept. 14) been the subject of discussion.
Regarding business arising from the Sept. 14 minutes, Pittman said that there were items she wanted to discuss at the closed session scheduled to follow the open meeting, under the provisions of the Community Charter relating to officers, employees, or agents of the municipality and labour and other employee relations.
Flood mitigation grant application
Council voted unanimously in favour of a motion supporting an application for funding under UBCM’s Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (Structural Flood Mitigation). The grant would provide funding to repair and relocate the treated effluent outfall at the wastewater treatment plant, which was severely damaged during flooding in 2020.
Tax sale
Chief Financial Officer Cristina Martini gave details of the 2020 tax sale, which took place on Sept. 28 and featured three properties, all of them at the Sage and Sands Mobile Home Park. As there were no bids on any of the properties, all three have now reverted to the Village of Cache Creek. Chief Administrative Officer Martin Dalsin explained that the property owners now have a grace period in which they can pay the outstanding taxes (or a portion thereof) and redeem the property, and said that the Village would be in touch with the owners regarding the options open to them.
Permissive tax exemptions
Coun. Sue Peters recused herself from the discussion, as she is on the board of directors of one of the entities applying for a permissive tax exemption (Ash-Creek TV Society). The other four entities are The Equality Project, South Cariboo Sportsman Association, Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, and Roman Catholic Bishop of Kamloops.
Pittman said she was disappointed that The Equality Project was unable to state explicitly how many residents of Cache Creek received a benefit from the organization, and hoped they would have a better breakdown next year. The application for a permissive tax exemption asks “How many members/users does your organization have during the most recent fiscal year?” and “Of those members/users, specify the number of those who are residents of Cache Creek.” The Equality Project answered that approximately 60 members utilize its services each month, and they estimate that approximately 75 per cent of those people are residents of Cache Creek or the Bonaparte Reserve.
The Journal later asked if language on the application form would be clarified to ask applicants about how accessible their facilities are for those in wheelchairs or with other mobility issues. At a meeting this past spring, council had stated their desire to see this information collected, but the question as written did not elicit the desired information from any of the applicants. Talarico said that the question would be clarified in the future.
The permissive tax exemptions were approved, and Peters rejoined the meeting.
Joint bylaw enforcement
It was moved and carried that Peters be appointed to join a Joint Bylaw Enforcement Advisory Committee, along with Dalsin, to work with the Villages of Ashcroft and Clinton to develop a joint agreement for bylaw enforcement. The tentative date for the next meeting of said committee is scheduled for Oct. 9.
Water and snow gauges
Coun. Wendy Coomber reported that council had met virtually with then-Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations minister Doug Donaldson about Cache Creek’s request for Cache Creek/Bonaparte River snow and water gauges.
Although it is a federal matter and Donaldson is not running for re-election, there was a positive discussion and ministry staff were receptive to the request, which was to have the ministry lobby with the federal government on behalf of the Village to have some of the old gauges reinstated and new ones installed.
The meeting moved into closed session at 7:24 p.m.
All minutes and agendas for Cache Creek council meetings can be found on the Village’s website at http://www.village.cachecreek.bc.ca/. The next scheduled regular meeting of council is on Tuesday, Oct. 13 at 7:00 p.m.
editorial@accjournal.ca
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