From the Ashcroft Council meeting on March 28.
Roll Call: Mayor Andy Anderson and councillors Alice Durksen, Jerry Fiddick, Helen Kormendy and Colin Williams.
GCCS budget
Council received a letter from Gold Country Communities staff advising that the Society will now be funded through a tax acquisition collected by the TNRD.
Council agreed to the Society’s request to hold the Village’s $3,000 payment for membership this year until they receive their funding from the TNRD in August.
The Society’s manager, Erica Hummel, also advised that “it is our goal to become more accountable to our stakeholders by establishing a formal 3-5 year strategy and by improving our systems of reporting.”
Columbarium
Council authorized the purchase of a 48 niche columbarium unit for the cemetery at a cost of $15,456 after taxes.
Administrator Michelle Allen advised after the meeting that most of the burials that take place in Ashcroft are cremated remains. Only plots are available at the moment, but those are rapidly running out.
She said the unit would be installed as soon as Public Works can build the foundation for it.
TNRD stipend
TNRD director and Ashcroft Mayor Andy Anderson gave a report of the March 24 TNRD board meeting, noting that the biggest item at the meeting was the raise the board voted for itself.
The issue originally was raised by the TNRD’s Chief Financial Officer who had been at a recent meeting with the CFOs of other regional district. At that meeting it was discovered that TNRD directors are receiving the lowest compensation in the province. The raise the granted themselves brought the stipend up to around the middle.
“I supported it because to do the work,” he said, “it can cost you money.”Anderson said sometimes directors must take time off work for TNRD matters, or travel in their own vehicle without compensation.
“You shouldn’t have to be financially well off to do the job,” he said. (Being a TNRD director) “should be available to everyone.”
Coun. Helen Kormendy said she was surprised at the raise and thought the new amount was “generous for public service. I thought it was quite high.”
Anderson explained that stipends for the TNRD don’t work the same as they do for municipal councils, which pays per diems and mileage for all out of town meetings attended. Rural directors get a lump sum to attend to affairs in their riding, regardless of whether they have a lot or a little to attend to.
K-12 investigation
Coun. Alice asked for and was authorized to take the bus to Clinton to see their K-12 school. She said the issue of declining enrolment in Ashcroft wasn’t going away soon and “Now is the time to start looking at all the alternatives” before decisions have to be made.
Next Meeting
Apr. 11 at 4:30 pm at the Village Office.
