Taxes, financial plan adopted
Burns Lake village council held a very brief special meeting on May 14 to adopt its five-year financial plan and 2018 property tax rates. The meeting lasted less than three minutes, as members of council quickly adopted the two bylaws.
Snow removal budget topped up
But during that brief May 14 meeting, council revealed a $50,000 increase to the village’s snow removal budget. Members of council had previously discussed the prospect of an increased budget for snow clearing at a meeting on April 16.
At that meeting, finance director Susan Meeds said the village had already exceeded its $75,000 snow clearing budget for 2018 by about $8,000. She proposed an additional $50,000 to top it up, noting that the money would come from reserves and that any leftover funds could go back into a reserve account for future snowy years.
But that discussion went to an in-camera session, meaning that it was closed to the public. The $50,000 snow budget boost remained under wraps until it came out at the special meeting on May 14.
Fireworks ban blown away
The following evening, at council’s May 15 session, members of council adopted a bylaw that removes the ban on using fireworks within Burns Lake village limits. Council decided to abolish the ban after fire chief Rob Krause said the bylaw was impossible to enforce.
Work plan deferred
Also at the May 15 council meeting, chief administration officer Sheryl Worthing presented a 10-page work plan for the year, a document meant to provide direction to staff.
Among the dozens of tasks listed was a total redesign of the Burns Lake village website and a digitization of the cemetery database.
Staff recommended that council receive the report, but Councillor Michael Riis-Christianson moved to have it deferred, saying that he had a question about the plan for Worthing, though he didn’t elaborate.
Political signage checked
Council asked staff to draft a bylaw limiting political placards on public land after Councillor Susan Schienbein said election signage had grown excessive in Burns Lake.
Schienbein said that municipalities including Quesnel had limited the number of signs that could be planted on public property, arguing that Burns Lake should follow suit. “They can’t just wander around willy-nilly and hammer them in wherever they want,” she said.
Other members of council said the policy would make campaigns more equitable, less like signage competitions. “I think most candidates would appreciate not having to put up so many signs,” Mayor Chris Beach said.
