Keremeos Village Council had to deal with a lengthy agenda of correspondence at the May 7 village council meeting.
Keremeos Community Church made their annual request to position a tent in Memorial Park on the Victoria Day long weekend in order to host a “Cowboy Church” service on Sunday, May 20.
The request was granted.
Council received a letter, post event, from Valley First Credit Union. Upon request, council agreed to proclaim May as National Missing Children’s Month and Missing Children’s Day.
Letters were also received regarding the proposed reservoir and from Minister of Finance Kevin Falcon regarding the expert panel review of business taxation and municipal revenue sources.
FortisBC advised the village that they would be providing the Elks with a $1,000 secondary prize following the efforts the village put towards the Earth Hour Challenge.
The Keremeos Seniors Centre will proceed with kitchen renovations following receipt of a grant from the New Horizons program. The centre wished to begin work now in order to have the work completed by March of 2013.
A letter from Colleen Christensen, Manager of Similkameen Country, presented a request for $250 from council in order to offset personal costs related to expenditures for the Rick Hansen 25th anniversary relay event. Council unanimously turned down the request.
Elks rodeo made a request to council for an $800 donation to the 2012 rodeo ladies barrel racing event, which council approved.
Council also approved a request for barricades along the Seventh Avenue parade route on Monday, May 21.
Council adopted the 2012 tax rate bylaw on May 9 after advancing it for reading consideration at the May 7 meeting. The financial plan for 2012 was adopted on May 7, as were zoning bylaws related to bringing village property into zoning compliance.
A program that the village has entered into with the Keremeos Irrigation District will see village staff give away free energy saving kits to residents of the area who apply at the village office. Old fixtures can be turned in to the village office to be collected by a local company for recycling. The program starts on May 14.
Bylaws given first, second and third readings included:
– tax rate bylaw for 2012.
– freedom of information bylaw (update of existing bylaw to conform to 2012 standards).
– a bylaw repealing a duplicate road closure bylaw ( housekeeping initiative).
There were no members of the public present in the gallery at the May 7 meeting.
Council adjourned to closed session after the public meeting.
