Sechelt council gave three readings on Nov. 18 to a financial plan amendment bylaw that allows for additional one-time project expenditures of $563,000 and additional capital expenditures of $326,000 in 2015.
Items on the “one-time expenditures” list include about $500,000 spent on mitigation and investigation work related to a sinkhole found in the Seawatch subdivision.
Another $10,000 is for this year’s portion of costs associated with the management professional who was hired to implement changes from the District’s organizational review, $37,000 for the executive search team council hired and up to $16,000 for public art purchases.
A staff report from interim chief financial officer Linda Klassen noted money for the one-time expenditures would be funded through general reserves and an art acquisition reserve.
The $326,000 capital expenditure change relates to a technology upgrade project for council chambers ($42,000), upgrades to the Sechelt Inlet Road force main ($330,000), a new 4x4 vehicle with the ability to plow and salt roads ($19,000), installing a sidewalk in Norwest Bay ($15,000), the replacement of the airport fuel dispensing system ($25,000) and construction of a turnaround at McCullough Road ($40,000).
Those figures add up to $471,000, but Klassen said $145,000 worth of projects previously slated for 2015 could be cancelled to offset the cost, which leads to the $326,000 total additional capital expenditure figure.
Projects cancelled include realigning King-fisher Road and landscaping projects along Norwest Bay Road and in Davis Bay.
The capital expenditures will be funded a number of ways, according to Klassen’s report, including DCCs, sewer reserves, gas tax grant proceeds and borrowing.
Medpot facilities
Sechelt council unanimously passed a new medical marijuana bylaw that restricts where future medicinal marijuana production, cultivation, research and development can take place in the District.
Future medicinal marijuana facilities must be situated at least one kilometre away from schools, 500 metres away from developed parks and 100 metres away from any residential neighbourhoods.
The bylaw also sets out minimum lot sizes, maximum building sizes and stipulations around security fencing and buffers.
SC Ford
At the Nov. 18 regular council meeting, Mayor Bruce Milne updated the public on the situation between the District and South Coast Ford.
South Coast Ford general manager Brad Copping was told at the previous council meeting on Nov. 4 that he had to remove his new electronic sign with changeable text or face fines of up to $120 a day.
Copping argued the sign was permissible as the sign bylaw states changeable text is allowed on signs “located on a service station premises” and South Coast Ford contains a service station.
Staff argued the word “gasoline” was omitted by mistake and that the bylaw was meant to allow changeable text on signs at gasoline service stations only.
Copping left that Nov. 4 meeting angry and threatening to sue.
Milne said the day after the meeting staff set up an appointment with Copping “to try and at least discuss some of the tension that was in the room that night.”
“I promised at that time that I would review the process and decision that we made … and get back to him, and that review is just about finished,” Milne said.
