Clinton council briefs from the meeting of Sept. 22, 2021.
Reduction in utilities for seniors’ residence
Council considered a request from Judy Hampton of the Clinton and District Assisted Living Society for the reduction of utility costs at the new 20-unit seniors’ residence, which is scheduled to open in November.
Hampton’s letter noted the cost of running and maintaining the facility, cited the fact that residents would not be using as much in the way of utilities as in a private residence, and pointed out that the village would still be getting utility payments from the new owners of homes in Clinton that were sold by seniors moving to the new facility.
Even though some services have been hooked up, there have been no utility charges thus far for 2021, and they could be pro-rated to cover November and December only. Mayor Susan Swan noted that council could decide to waive those charges for the last two months of 2021, and start charging in 2022, although CAO Murray Daly advised that would be better done via bylaw rather than a council resolution. He also said that creating a new designation under the Fees and Charges Bylaw to cover something like the seniors’ facility — another request from the society — could be problematic when it comes to deciding who falls under it.
Council voted to charge a pro-rated fee for utilities for November and December 2021, and direct staff to investigate possible options going forward.
Grant-in-Aid request
The South Cariboo Historical and Museum Society was granted free use of the Memorial Hall on Dec. 2 for a spaghetti dinner fundraiser to benefit the Clinton Food Bank.
Support for Lytton
The Regional District of Mount Waddington sent a letter to all regional districts and municipalities in the province, stating that they would be donating $1 for every person in their representative area toward rebuilding Lytton and challenging other local governments to do the same.
Coun. David Park noted that a fundraising concert for Lytton had already been held in Clinton. Swan said that since the money would be coming from taxpayers, it might not be a proper use of those tax dollars, noting that individual residents could make a donation in support of Lytton if they wanted to. No motion was made.
Letters of support
Council voted to send a letter of support to Gold Country Communities Society, which is seeking a grant to help them hold a GeoTour event in the region in August 2022, and to the Clinton Annual Ball Society, which is seeking a grant for the 2022 ball.
Opening statement
The Village of Clinton received a letter from High Bar First Nation stating that they would be fine if the village adopted an opening statement for meetings acknowledging Clinton Whispering Pines and High Bar First Nation. After some discussion, council agreed they would be more comfortable with a more general acknowledgement (Secwepemc) rather than one mentioning specific bands, and Swan said she would discuss this with High Bar First Nation.
Budget performance report
Council accepted the above report, covering Jan. 1 to June 30, 2021. Chief Financial Officer Mandy McKague noted that all three of the village’s funds — general, water, and sewer — will end the year on budget.
All minutes and agendas for Clinton council meetings can be found on the Village’s website at https://village.clinton.bc.ca/. Meetings normally take place on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month, and begin at 7 p.m. The next regular meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 13.
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