Due to illness, Coun. Annette Pittman was the only member of Cache Creek council not in attendance at the regular meeting of council on Monday, May 11, which started at 7 p.m.
Re-opening Village facilities
Coun. Wendy Coomber noted that while there has been discussion about re-entry programs for municipalities, so far she has not seen anyone come up with one. She said that there were several Village-owned facilities which would eventually have to reopen, preferably sooner rather than later, such as the Community Hall, the gym, the Visitor Info Centre, and the playground.
CAO Martin Dalsin noted that he had recently received a detailed re-entry plan, which would be on next meeting’s agenda. Coomber asked if there were any plans to open the Info Centre, noting someone was under contract to operate it and that the facility rarely gets more than two or three people in at a time, so it would not be difficult for people to keep their distance.
Dalsin replied that he had spoken with the contractor about opening for the Victoria Day long weekend with cleaning and disinfecting protocols in place, and ensuring that the number of people in the centre at any one time was regulated. He clarified that the washroom facilities in the Community Hall (where the centre is located) would not be open, and that the contractor would be notified of this.
Spring pick-up
Dalsin also stated that there have been many inquiries regarding the annual spring pick-up day by the Village crew, and asked if council was in favour of holding it again this year. The pick-up day usually happens before the May long weekend, but was affected this year by flooding and limited hours at the Cache Creek Transfer Station. Dalsin added that the TNRD was in favour of a Village pick-up day, as it would limit the number of individual loads being brought to the site.
Council was in favour of the spring pick-up, but decided against adding a similar event in the fall.
Community Foundation matching grant
Coomber also discussed the Northern Development Initiative Trusts’s Community Foundation Matching Grant program, which she had asked to be placed on the agenda. The program provides participating municipalities with funding to assist with the establishment of a dedicated endowment within a registered community foundation, with every dollar raised in the community matched by NDIT up to $50,000. This results in a potential endowment account of $100,000 which can then provide grants to non-profit societies for enhancements within the community area, in perpetuity. Decisions about funding are made by the registered community foundation.
Coomber said that with Cache Creek not opening its pool in 2020, and the Village not putting money into other areas because of closures, there might be extra funds to put into a community foundation.
“Every year it’s the same groups that come to us and ask for funding, and sometimes it can be a little uncomfortable, depending on what it is. If we set up something like a foundation we could direct those people to that group.” She also noted that the Village often grants free use of the Community Hall, and that instead of taking that financial hit, groups could apply to the foundation for funds for renting the hall.
It was clarified that the initial funds of up to $50,000 do not have to come solely from the Village, and that the funds are administered by the foundation, which would operate at arm’s-length from council. As the foundation allocated grants to organizations, the funds could be built back up from different sources and receive matching funding from NDIT.
“It looked like a really good way to leverage more money for groups in Cache Creek and take it off our shoulders,” said Coomber.
Dalsin said that setting up the foundation would take a lot of work, which would need to be done before any funds were collected or dispersed. Coomber offered to research what was required and bring it back to council.
Other items
Plans for a debriefing session on the experiences of the Emergency Operations Centre (now disbanded) put in place for this year’s flooding were discussed. The flood watch along the Bonaparte River and Cache Creek has been lifted.
Mayor Santo Talarico asked to be the Village appointee to the Ashcroft Terminal Working Group, which was passed. “It’s an important [thing] for us to be involved in,” he noted.
Dalsin noted that after the agenda for the evening’s meeting had been put together, he had received an email from the Bonaparte Band asking for a meeting with the Village to discuss a possible new protocol agreement. He asked for council to supply him with dates when they would be available for a meeting.
The meeting was taken into closed session at 7:20 p.m.
All minutes and agendas for Cache Creek council meetings can be found on the Village’s website at http://www.village.cachecreek.bc.ca/. The next scheduled regular meeting of council is on Monday, May 25 at 4:30 p.m.
Budget meeting
This year’s budget and Five-Year Financial Plan will be given first three readings and final approval at a special meeting on Thursday, May 21. The documents will be available for viewing by the public on the Village website as of May 20.
There will be no public attendance at the meeting, which will be live streamed by the HUB Online Network on their Facebook page starting at 7 p.m. on May 21 for real time viewing. Members of the public will be able to ask questions online during the live stream.
