If you’re a farmer, the City of Kelowna is looking for you.
With a number of vacancies on the city’s re-newed Agricultural Advisory Committee, people actively farming, involved in agriculture or interested in it, are invited to submit applications to sit on the committee.
City manager Ron Mattiussi says they are looking for a balance in the group to help advise council in dealing with a huge amount of agricultural land (57 per cent is zoned for agriculture) within the city’s boundaries.
Most of it is developable land, so there is a lot of strain on the agricultural community, he noted.
The committee helps to inform and advise council on such matters as re-zoning applications regarding farmland or land adjacent to farmland or Agricultural Land Commission applications .
Council has completed its review of that committee and renewed it, but the members have yet to be officially re-appointed.
Committee chairman Leo Gebert of St. Hubertus Estate Winery says the committee tries to prevent urban-rural conflicts and to make the city a better place to live.
He noted that he would not have been very impressed if the recently-elected city council had opted not to continue with the committee, as had been discussed.
“There’s no political influence on these council committees. They can have an independent look at things. They are advisory only, but they supply an outside look at issues,” he commented.
If you’re interested in volunteering for the committee, complete an online application form at: http://www.kelowna.ca/CM/Page2268.aspx before 4 p.m. on Wed., Feb. 1.
jsteeves@kelownacapnews.com
