At their Jan. 9 regular meeting, the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) board unanimously approved new dates for the first round of budget discussions.
The budget discussions will change from the previously advertised dates, which would have seen directors start meeting this week, to Feb. 3 to 5 and Feb. 10.
Board chair Gary Nohr said the reason for the change was “the fact that we have so many other orientation workshops and other aspects going on that we had to.”
Water rates
All directors were in favour of adopting a new amended water rates bylaw that ups fees for everyone in the regional district.
The new fee schedule (excluding North and South Pender Harbour) sees user fees for each dwelling unit rise from $231.79 annually to $246.62 under the new bylaw.
Metered rates will also rise from $1.82 per hundred cubic feet to $2.10 per hundred cubic feet under the amended bylaw.
North Pender Harbour will see a change in user fees for each parcel containing one dwelling unit from $207.74 last year to $218.13 this year.
The new North Pender Harbour water rates bylaw (schedule D) also notes that metered water rates will rise from $312.26 annually for the first 50,000 gallons of water used per quarter to $327.87 annually.
South Pender Harbour will see residents pay $344.73 per dwelling unit as compared to $328.31 last year. The water meter rate is set at $123.11 per quarter for the first 10,000 gallons used, compared to $117.25 last year.
The amended bylaw also requires a $25 payment per manual water meter reading up to a maximum of $300 a year and it allows for a temporary lawn watering permit to be purchased for $35.
See the full amended bylaw that was adopted at the Jan. 8 board meeting, starting on page 30 of the agenda package. The agenda can be accessed online at www.scrd.ca.
Marijuana bylaw
Directors passed first readings of two amendment bylaws that would regulate form and character of any medical marijuana production facility wanting to start up in Elphinstone or Roberts Creek.
The purpose of the new bylaw is to ensure that any facility in those areas is designed to “fit into the neighbourhood with minimal visual impact.”
A public meeting on the new bylaw has been tentatively set up for Elphinstone and Roberts Creek residents on Feb. 24 at 7 p.m. at the Roberts Creek Hall.
Resident survey
There is a survey now open at www.scrd.ca where residents can have their say about the work the SCRD is doing. The citizen satisfaction survey asks people to rate their experience with the SCRD and answer questions about how they access information relating to the regional district.
