At the regular District of Sooke council meeting on Jan. 14, the following agenda items were dealt with:
Bylaws:
Bylaw 561: Council gave first and second reading to Bylaw 561, Flood Regulation Bylaw, 2013. This bylaw will be used to regulate flood hazard management instead of relying on the district’s bylaws.
Councillor Rick Kasper questioned why the district was going from a one page regulation to a 10 page bylaw.
In response, planner Tracy Olsen stated the district had been close to giving misinformation to residents. The bylaw will designate certain areas as flood plains and specify development levels and setback requirements in a designated area and enforce those conditions.
Bylaw 600: Council passed the recommendations on a number of amendments to Bylaw 600; these include modifying definitions, correcting administrative errors, removal of a six metre setback requirement from 7111 West Coast Road and to correct the zoning of 1686 Whiffin Spit from RU3 to RU4 as the property is not in the ALR.
Reports:
The Sooke RCMP Mayor’s report showed crime is down in the Sooke region. Staff Sgt. Stephen Wright came before council and talked about the progress the RCMP is making in crime prevention.
In 2012 Wright reported that property crime is down 15 per cent overall with residential B&Es down 38 per cent; business B&E down 44 per cent; thefts of and from vehicles down 29 per cent. Noise and disturbance calls down 45 per cent; assaults down 13 per cent and offences by youth down 16 per cent. Alcohol related accidents were down by 19 per cent.
The detachment is currently down three officers and costs for overtime are in check.
In December 2012, RCMP responded to 326 calls. The RCMP take an average of 4,000 calls per year.
• The Sooke Community Association petitioned for inclusion into the Sooke Core Sewer Specified Area. Council gave first, second and third reading to Bylaw 562. The SCA will be responsible to hire a professional to provide the engineered design for a service connection for the campground along Phillips Road.
• Council passed a recommendation from the Land Use and Environment Committee for the proposed road closure and exchange of Otter Point Road Right of Way adjacent to 2100 Otter Point Road. This is in preparation for the realignment of Otter Point Road to accommodate the proposed Grant Road connector and development.
• Mayor Wendal Milne appointed Councillors Rick Kasper and Kerrie Reay to work with the Vancouver Island Regional Library Board on aggressively seeking the start to building a new library in Sooke. The district has been spending over $390,000 per year on library services.
Correspondence:
Council requested the mayor to send a letter to the Sooke Bike Club requesting society and membership information and 2012 financial statements.
Mayor Milne stated he wanted to know what percentage of the membership lives in Sooke.
“Im my mind, who are the people behind the club and what is their financial situation?” questioned Milne.
Councillor Maja Tait said it was important to see the design of the proposed bike skills park before being able to address the concerns of the public. The bike club received approval for the issuance of $3,600 from the district to prepare plans for the park. Tait requested the district contact the contractor (Alpine) regarding the design plans. She felt council had no appetite for the bike park. She said the bike club cannot sign a contract with Alpine as they do not have a licence of occupation for the area of the park they intend to use for the Bike Skills Park.
Mayor Milne stated that the district is not building the bike skills park, the bike club is supposed to.
He said they are giving the bike club the money and they are responsible for the plans, not the district,
“We never envisioned it as council’s job to contact Alpine,” said Milne.
