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Council briefs from Jan. 12 meeting

Full agenda for Grand Forks City Council on Monday, Jan. 12.
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Grand Forks City Hall clock

Water meter status report

At the Jan. 12 regular city council meeting, Coun. Christine Thompson proposed the council direct manager of operations Roger Huston to prepare a status report on the water meter installation project.

“Water meters in the city is still a subject receiving a few negative comments,” she said to council. “Most recently, this weekend of a Facebook page discussing the results of the deer cull opinion poll. This council needs to address the issue of water meters and determine the direction this council wants to go. It is the ‘elephant in the room’ that in my opinion must be placed on the table and be debated with the ultimate goal of providing to direction to management and staff so they can manage their departmental staff accordingly.”

The motion was carried unanimously. The report is expected to be ready for the next council meeting (Jan. 26).

Spray park

Council voted in favour of waiving the quote requirements of the purchasing policy for the Rotary Spray Park project.

Roxanne Shepherd, chief financial officer for the city, explained that the spray park is a joint project between the city and the local Rotary Club.

“Bylaw 2005, the 2014-18 financial plan amendment, includes $300,000 capital project to be funded $100,000 from donations and grants and $200,000 from the slag reserve,” she said. “Since the initial agreement with the city, the Rotary Club has worked tirelessly to make the spray park a reality. They have hosted various fundraising events, including the lobster dinner, and have acquired donations towards the initial design of the park.”

Shepherd went on to explain that the city’s purchasing policy #802 requires that all purchases over $5,000 have three quotes.

“We are requesting that because of the unique circumstances of this joint project, the purchasing policy requirements for quotes be waived for this project only,” she said.

Shepherd explained that the pieces which Rotary is looking to purchase for the park are basically only made by one company.

Love for electric utility rates

Alex Love, electrical utility consultant for Grand Forks, gave a brief presentation about the electric utility rates and how they might be affected by the latest general rate increase by FortisBC (3.5 per cent for 2015).

“Because these are interim rates there is a chance the final approved increases will be higher or lower and FortisBC will have to make a cost recovery adjustment; however, it remains that this is the best wholesale rate change information we have. If it happens that there is a further adjustment of FortisBC rates in 2015, we will have to assess the situation at that time.”

Love recommended implementing a manual meter option for residential customers; rescind policy 1205 as it is no longer practical to implement; and implement a general rate increase of 3.125 per cent to all electrical energy and basic charge rates. To take effect for consumption beginning March 1, 2015.

Coun. Julia Butler asked why analogue meters were not available. Love responded, “Meters must be re-verified every so often. 2013 was the last year analogue meters could have been verified.”

Council voted to receive Love’s information. The electrical utility rates for 2015 will be introduced at the Committee of the Whole meeting on Jan. 26.

Amendment to procedure bylaw

Thompson proposed an amendment to the city’s procedure bylaw (No. 1946, 2013) that would ask for written reports from members of council attending conferences, seminars or workshops that are longer than one day.

“When I was on council before and we attended AKBLGs (Association of Kootenay Boundary Local Governments) and UBCMs (Union of British Columbia Municipalities) and others, there were concurrent workshops that different members of council attended,” she said. “When reports came back they were verbal. I found when I went back and wanted to review the meetings there was nothing (to read).”

Coun. Michael Wirischagin spoke, and voted against the motion, stating that it was “draconian” and too vague.

“I think it’s very vague,” he said. “How many pages? What does that written report look like? What are you looking for? Can it just say I attended the UBCM? Information from these sessions are available on their websites. It doesn’t tell me what it’s looking and number two, how will if be dealt with? Will there be a disciplinary committee?”

Coun. Colleen Ross spoke for the motion, stating its accountability. “It’s a privilege to be there,” she said. “We learn things. It’s just due diligence. That information is important and that we should share it.”

The motion was carried 5-1 with only Wirischagin voting against it. Coun. Chris Hammett was absent, attending a deer workshop in Vancouver.

Council looks at opting out of CETA

Ross brought forth a motion to have council have the city opt out of the Canada/European Union (EU) Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA).

After some council discussion, Ross agreed to withdraw the motion and fix it up and bring it back to the next council meeting.

“People refer to it as another free trade agreement but it goes much deeper than that,” Ross told the Gazette. “It gives corporations rights over governments. A corporation could actually sue a mucipality, or provincial government or federal government for contravening any part of the agreement in terms of local procurement, environmental laws that would stop a corporation from doing certain extractive practices. It would prevent us from creating policy or legislation that would impede profit.”

Thompson suggested that the motion, once passed by council, be brought forward to the AKBLG.

Letter from Koch re: Emeral

Resident Gene Koch sent a letter to council asking for clarification on the recent legal notice that appeared in the Gazette on Nov. 12, 2014 regarding a proposed disposition of city land.

“The proposal in the notice stated that the sale was contemplated to ‘Emeral Developments Ltd.’,” said Koch in his letter. “I have enclosed a copy of a BC Registry Services search that states no such company exists, or has ever existed in British Columbia.”

Koch added that a company called Emeral Developments Corp was the subject of several legal procedures including disputes with what would appear to be several creditors and a CIBC foreclosure.

Koch asked whether council and staff had done their best due diligence to protect the interests of the city prior to posting the legal notice.

Sasha Bird, manager of development and engineering, addressed and council and admitted that the company was not in existence and had been dissolved in 2010.

“We have since told them that we cannot legally sell to a company that does not exist,” she said. “We’ve given them some options if they still want to make the purchase.”

Council voted to receive the letter for information.

Borrowing bylaw

Grand Forks council approved first three readings of bylaw 2007 – the City of Grand Forks 2015 revenue anticipation borrowing bylaw.

The community charter gives municipalities the authority to borrow money to cover obligations during the period between the beginning of the fiscal year, Jan. 1, and the property tax payment due date of the first working day after July 1, said the background information. Although the city has enough cash on hand to cover its obligations for a considerable length of time, the adoption of an annual revenue anticipation bylaw is a requirement of the city’s banking contract with the Grand Forks Credit Union as it covers the city’s $2 million overdraft.

Subdivision and development repeal bylaw

City council gave final reading to the subdivision and development repeal bylaw No. 1424-R, 2014 and also gave final reading to subdivision, development and servicing bylaw 1970, 2014.

The background information stated: The City of Grand Forks subdivision and development bylaw No. 1424 was adopted in 1994 and requires updating to meet the current requirements for the regulation of subdivision, development and servicing of lands within the City of Grand Forks. The proposal is to have city council repeal the existing bylaw and adopt a new bylaw which is similar to bylaws currently in use by other municipalities and cities in the province, but structured to meet our community’s needs.”

Electrical utility regulatory bylaw

City council gave third reading to electrical utility regulatory repeal bylaw No. 1543-R, 2014 and subsequently gave third reading to its replacement electrical utility regulatory bylaw No. 1975, 2014.

Some of the significant changes between the current bylaw and the proposed bylaw are: updated definitions section to stay current with the manner in which the utility operates; added clarity for meter locations and supply voltages offered. This will help to improve customer understanding on what is and is not available; Added a residential photo-voltaic (PV) service to accommodate residents wanting to install solar PV systems and both purchase and sell energy to the electric grid; Defined rates for common service connections to provide clarity to customers around service fees; and various wording revisions to reflect the current practices of most electric utilities.