A brief recap of Council meetings, as viewed from the gallery
November 19, 2024 Edition
Event: Lions Bay Council Meeting
Time: Public meeting: 7 p.m.
Agenda: HERE
Video: HERE
Present at the council table were Mayor Ken Berry and Councillors Neville Abbott and Michael Broughton. Councillor Jaime Cunliffe and Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Ross Blackwell attended online and Councillor Marcus Reuter was absent. Director of Operations Karl Buhr joined the group to give his reports.
On this stormy evening, with a 'bomb cyclone' battering the West Coast, no residents attended in person, and online viewers numbered 12.
The meeting opened at 7 p.m. following a closed session that began at 6 p.m., from which nothing was reported out. The agenda for the meeting was adopted without changes.
Parking Issues
Bylaw Enforcement Officer Taj Bindra submitted his October report (found on page 3 of the agenda) for Council's information. In the brief discussion that followed, Councillor Neville Abbott noted that the greatly reduced hiker traffic is likely responsible for the low number of tickets issued, but asked if the bylaw officer is actually attending on weekends, when the parking numbers tend to go up.
Chief Administrative Officer Ross Blackwell said that staff have flexible scheduling, and that the bylaw officer will be available on sunny or long weekends as needed.
The report notes that since 2021, there are 1206 outstanding parking violations, equating to $289,440. The bylaw enforcement team have started to issue warning letters for these violations. In response to Abbott's question about the use of a collections agency, Blackwell said that such agencies are used as a last resort.
Water Bylaw
Director of Operations Karl Buhr brought forward a reworked version of the Water Bylaw (Bylaw 633, page 7), which he said was intended to deal with problems arising from the Village's 60-year old water system, in light of Council's recent rejection of water metering.
He also noted that changes to the water bylaw will trigger changes to Bylaw 385 (page 17) which deals with enforcement of these and other issues for which penalties are assessed.
The water bylaw received first reading, with the suggestion to staff that some elements be amended and returned for further discussion. It was agreed that changes to the enforcement bylaw need a more comprehensive review, as they include enforcement of issues including trees and parking. Blackwell added that Council can soon expect a more comprehensive report on parking issues.
Scheduling
On the topic of seasonal office closures, Blackwell noted that the way the holidays fall this year creates a couple of uneven work weeks. He recommended the office be closed December 20 until the New Year. Discussion arose as to whether staff would be required to use their allotted vacation days to cover absences, which would amount to five days this year. Councillor Jaime Cunliffe suggested that in lieu of being present in person, a member of the office staff could make themselves available online to address any resident issues that arise over this normally quiet time of the year.
Abbott reminded everyone that utility bills arrive at this time, and noted that residents should not be penalized if there is no one present to collect them. He also noted that, in the corporate world, vacation days are typically used for time taken off over the holidays.
Blackwell reminded Council that last year staff were given paid days off. As a rule, employees (both union and management) can bank a certain amount of overtime and ultimately receive cash or holidays as a result. In the past years, the office has often been run by a skeleton crew, with some staff choosing to take holidays or use banked time off. After the meeting, Blackwell confirmed that in 2023, Council voted to close the office December 27 through 29 for the holiday season.
After discussion, Council asked Blackwell to come back with a cost estimate for covering those days, and present the information at the next Committee of the Whole (COW) meeting.
Council turned to the scheduling of meetings for 2025, with Abbott suggesting that a return to two Council meetings a month, with COW meetings scheduled as needed was preferable to the current system. After discussion, the current configuration of meeting days and times was maintained.
Emergency Reports
Fire Rescue Dispatch Report for October 2024 (page 124).
14 incidents were reported in the month of September, along with 20 usages of apparatus. 73 members attended the various incidents.
Correspondence
The list of correspondence begins on page 46 of the agenda package. This quarter, responsibility for addressing the correspondence falls to Councillor Abbott.
General correspondence began with a letter from the provincial director of Child Welfare Cory Heavener on the subject of Adoption Awareness Month (page 47).
As noted above, the City of Surrey sent the monthly Fire Rescue Dispatch Report (page 49)
Translink CEO Kevin Quinn sent a report on Transport Priorities (page 53).
The single item of resident correspondence begins on page 58, from long-term resident Monica Gewurz, on the subject of vehicle accidents as a result of pooling water on the Sea to Sky highway.
Council agreed with Gewurz's concerns and Blackwell suggested that staff raise the issue with the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure (MOTI). Council agreed to follow this up with the ministry if sufficient action is not taken by the government.
No residents offered questions at either opportunity so the meeting adjourned. The next meeting of Council is a Committee of the Whole scheduled for December 3 at 6 p.m., with a full regular Council meeting set for December 17 at 7 p.m.
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