Notes from the Cache Creek council meeting of Nov. 15.
Voyent Alert system
In light of the flooding situation in the Southern Interior, Mayor Santo Talarico wanted to remind residents of the Voyent Alert Emergency Notification system, which all residents of the village can subscribe to at no charge.
Chief Administrative Officer Damian Couture explained that there are different ways to receive notifications: by going to the village’s website at www.cachecreek.ca and looking at the main page for any notifications, or by registering via the link on the main page (go to https://bit.ly/3HBDoQx) and signing up to receive text messages, emails, or a phone call.
Couture also noted that anyone who needs assistance can stop by the village office, and staff will be able to help them sign up.
Dump truck purchase
Council heard from Couture of the need for a new dump truck for the village, as the five-ton truck that is (as of changes made in 2021) used to transport biosolids from the wastewater treatment plant is now needed for winter road maintenance, and the village’s one-ton truck is too small and would require many more trips per week. Staff identified a used 2007 GMC Topkick dump truck for sale for $23,000 as a suitable vehicle.
Coun. Wendy Coomber asked if there would be an opportunity to have the truck inspected before purchase. Couture said it had recently passed a government inspection, adding that if this truck was not suitable staff would keep looking for something; however, this was the first suitable truck of the right size and right price that had come up since staff identified the need for a new truck. Talarico noted that this need was identified some time ago, and staff have been searching for a suitable vehicle for months.
Funding would come from the COVID-19 Safe Restart grant funds the village received last year, with Coun. Annette Pittman voicing concerns about using funds from this source. Council voted 4–1 in favour of purchasing a dump truck with a purchase price not exceeding $25,000, with Pittman opposed.
2022 meeting schedule
Council passed the proposed 2022 meeting schedule with two small amendments. Council meetings are on the first and third Monday of each month (on a Tuesday if Monday is a holiday), apart from July, August, and December, when meetings are on the first Monday only.
Curbside waste study
A study of curbside garbage collected from Cache Creek in May 2021, conducted by Tetra Tech Canada, noted that of the 198.3kg of garbage from Cache Creek that was examined, 34.7 per cent was compostable and 16.4 per cent was recyclable, meaning that it could have been disposed of in ways that would have kept it out of the landfill.
New computers
Pittman questioned the purchase price of laptops for all council members. Couture replied that they cost $550 each, and he made the decision to purchase them out of concerns over cybersecurity and the need to have computer devices that are secured by the village.
CAO report
Couture noted that tree pruning, and the felling of some danger trees, has recently been completed; that the village phone system, emails, and website are being changed and/or upgraded, and a new website for the village is under construction; that the economic development action plan is on track to be completed by the end of the year (more than 110 survey responses were received); and that the internet speed at the community hall had been identified as inadequate. Internet speed there has now been quadrupled, at a lower cost per month than previously.
He added that up to two members of the public can now attend council meetings. They do not have to show proof of vaccination, but must wear a mask at all times.
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