Labour peace has been reached at Christmas time in Spallumcheen.
The township and its Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) employees have ratified a new contract.
“It’s a three-year contract,” said Spallumcheen administrator Greg Betts. “There is a two per cent wage increase in 2012, one-and-a-half per cent in 2013 and two per cent in 2014.”
The deal affects 12 CUPE employees with the township.
Budget dates set
The township has confirmed four dates to begin deliberations on the 2013-17 five-year financial plan.
The first two dates will be Jan. 21 and Feb. 12, with the third date, Monday, March 4, open for public consultation on the budget from 6 to 6:45 p.m.
A fourth date for meetings has been set for March 11.
There will be no talks planned from March 18 to 29 as that is spring break for the North Okanagan-Shuswap School District.
“We have, in the past, scheduled meetings during spring break only to change the meetings because people were suddenly on vacation,” said Brian Freeman-Marsh, Spallumcheen’s chief financial officer.
“That’s why there are no meetings planned in that two-week period to avoid conflicts.”
A meeting will be held March 21 with Spallumcheen and City of Armstrong councils to review the joint programs budget.
Lunch fund
donation
Council will stray from the mayor’s discretionary fund policy one more time to help the local high school.
Council has donated $150 each of the last three years to the Pleasant Valley Secondary School’s twice-a-week healthy lunch program.
However, policy states the fund can only be used for the same cause two years in a row without a motion being made. Funds were given to the program in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
“I’m the new mayor and I would like to do this again, but we need to send a letter apologizing but due to policy, we can’t keep doing it,” said Janice Brown, who called for a motion to donate $200.
Coun. Christine Fraser stated the letter should also include a suggestion to PVSS to apply for a township grant-in-aid to help with healthy lunch program funding.
Council unanimously agreed to the $200 and Fraser’s recommendation.
