Kimberley City Council Report

By Nowell Berg

On December 12, City of Kimberley council held its bi-monthly meeting.

All councillors and Mayor Don McCormick were present for the meeting.

Water, sewer and garbage fees set to rise for next four years

In order to deal with city infrastructure deficits, council unanimously voted to increase residential utility user fees for the next four years.

By 2020, these annual user fees will increase by almost 14%. Total user fee increases are higher in 2017 and 2018, 4.3% and 5.9% respectively. Increases in 2019 and 2020 are smaller, just 1.8% for both years.

According to the city’s report, these utility user fees help finance “increased operating costs and [a] commit[ment] to ongoing contributions to Infrastructure Renewal Reserves [that] fund needed capital upgrades to the water and sewer systems.”

Infrastructure renewal is one of council’s strategic priorities for the 2015-2018 term.

Dog license renewal time

The City of Kimberley reminds everyone that all dogs must be licensed and kept on a leash within the city. The January 2017 renewal deadline is fast approaching. All dog owners are asked to license their pet in order to make it easier for the city to return lost animals.

New licenses can be purchased at City Hall. A neutered or spayed dog license costs $22. The fine for an unlicensed dog is now $100.

Bylaw and Animal Control Officer Kim Tuft wants dog owners to know, “It is your duty as pet owners to clean up after your dog. Immediately after they have done their business remove the feces to a bag and into your own garbage at home. It is unacceptable to leave it” on any property that is not your own. A first offense gets a $50 fine and a $100 fine for a second offense.

The three most common dog issues concern off-leash dogs, barking dogs and unlicensed dogs. According to Tuft, the neighbourhood known as “the Bench” is a location where residents let “dogs run at large, defecate in neighbor’s yards and be off leash.”

Off leash areas are located at Kimberley Nature Park and Lois Creek Trails.

All pet owners are responsible for knowing the regulations pertaining to their pet and adhering to bylaws.

Aquatic Centre adds programs for 2017

In an effort to attract more users, the Aquatic Centre has three new pool programs starting in January.

Adult Aqua Action is for swimmers wanting to improve stroke, endurance and speed. The Masters Swim class offers stroke instruction that focuses on endurance and speed improvement. The Adult Boot Camp includes a variety of workouts both in and out of the water. These classes run four different days of the week at four different times.

Rhyme TYME is a “structured play session targeted to appeal to patrons aged six months to three years,” reported Mike Fox, Director of Operations, City of Kimberley. A lifeguard leads participants through age appropriate games, songs and movement stories.

Bronze Prep will help swimmers 11 years or older prepare for entering the Aquatic Leadership program that can lead to becoming a certified lifeguard. This program runs Thursdays, 5 – 6 p.m., and focuses on first aid, rescue skills, endurance and stroke improvement.

These programs run from January to the middle of March.

If you want to sign up or get more information, call the Aquatic Centre at 250 427-2983 or email, [email protected].

Community Grants approved for 2017

City council unanimously approved 27 Project or Event grants for 2017 that will provide cash or in-kind services worth $78,739, $46,302 in cash and $32,473 in-kind.

The three largest cash grants in the project/event category went to:

Spark Society for Youth ($10,667);

Sullivan Mine & Railway Society ($8,286);

East Kootenay Regional Search and Rescue Society ($6,286). The Rescue Society also received an in-kind grant of $3,214 putting their total grant at $9,500.

Other groups that received cash and in-kind grants were:

Kimberley Arts Council – First Saturdays & Oktoberfest ($3,000 cash & $5,000 in-kind); Kimberley Danceworks Committee ($2,143 & $1,500, respectively); Mark Creek Lions Club – Marysville Daze ($1,357 & $2,500, respectively).

Summit Community Services received cash grants for Victim Services ($4,429) and the Youth Action Network ($2,227).

Coun. Albert Hoglund supported the motion, but was disappointed the Sullivan Mine & Railway Society (SMRS) did not receive the requested $10,000. He said the SMRS “doesn’t often ask the city for funding.”

Coun. Sandra Roberts noted they had “never asked for funding.”

Mayor Don McCormick was quick to point out the city had “found another funding source for $1,800,” which would top-up the SMRS to its requested total.

Coun. Darryl Oakley commented that the underground railway was a big attraction not only for tourists but university and college geology tours. These academic tours bring in lots of students and professors using the under-ground mine as a teaching/learning tool.

Oakley also said the mine was the “second sought after attraction behind the trails” this past summer.

Revenue sharing from Inter-Community Business License fee

Council authorized city staff to execute a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City of Cranbrook that will share revenue generated from the Inter-community Business License (ICBL).

At the November 14 council meeting, the ICBL was adopted in order to provide “a streamlined licensing process for businesses operating in both Kimberley and Cranbrook.” Cranbrook city council adopted the ICBL in October.

The MOU between City of Kimberley and City of Cranbrook stipulates that all revenue generated from the ICBL will be split “equally 50-50” between the two parties.

In 2016, 90 Cranbrook businesses also held a Kimberley business license, which generally cost either $50 or $100, depending on the type of business. The ICBL costs $75.

Prescribed burn and fuel treatment funding approved

The City of Kimberley received notification from the Strategic Wildfire Prevention Working Group (SWPWG) approving requests for three fuel treatment programs.

SWPWG has approved grants worth over $350,000. This money will be used for prescribed burns and operational fuel treatment in the forests around the city.

The mayor and councilors were happy with the program funding which allows the city to continue making the forests safer along with reducing the possibility of wildfire damage to public and private property in the city.

Kimberley City Council meets twice monthly. All meetings start at 7 pm and are open to the public. Check the city’s website here for the council meeting agenda. Click on the 2017 folder and follow the link.

The first council meeting for 2017 is Monday, January 9.

It’s your city; get involved.

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