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For earlier materials see Table of Contents

January 11^th

1^st look Council mtg

What happened: as events and significance

First (public) meeting of the year ---- significance was subtle ‘emergence’ of Jen Rice and Judy Carlick-Pearson – taking more assertive role

The expressed motivation was to bring the public into awareness of our financial situation – especially prioritizing ‘what needs to be done’ – as in roads; infrastructure etc --- more later	Anna Ashley had given notice last meeting that would put forward this amendment
	Hopeful sign

Anna presented a long list of how other Council handle ‘grants’ – but given to staff to ‘sort out’ and report back	Again a key issue
	And again Anna Ashley had done her homework on potential different directions (more later)

	Big 6 of the ‘Community Enhancement’ Grants
	Gina Garon used this term first --- plus came out in discussion between different grants ranging from 509T$ for Library to 63$ for Community in Bloom And it does highlight the underlying concept of ‘one size fits all’ of present approach --- The funny part is that showed a binder six plus inches thick --- emphasizing all the paperwork/ documentation that has to be done for each application

First recommendation was re-worded (more later)	I will return to this later
	This year only about twenty other applications than ‘Big 6’ --- Other years twice as many applications

Why would the public library, tourism and even Economic Development be thrown into same group? --- Golf Course get 100T$ per year taxpayer $$ --- and it is based upon a 3 year contract ---perhaps the model for multi-year commitments. The Airport Ferry etc ‘run by’ a ‘community group’ (Airport Society)--- and we subsidize it from 700T to 900T per year --- so let’s compare apples and apples --- more later

Community Enhancement Grants

There is an unspoken arbitrariness to what constitutes a ‘community enhancement grant’

Staff perhaps saw this as a ‘rush job’ to get the application sent out --- but both the ‘new Councilors’ wanted to be given more information --- Grant was for an indoor gym for Tots and an elevator to take seniors etc to second floor of Civic Center --- but Council just ‘asked’ to OK the total –even though Carlick-Pearson expressed some reservations about ‘need’ for competing with other groups for small kids (my interpretation) --- ‘Staff did not know the figures but ‘guessed’ the elevator was 2/3 of total --- more later

This brought out some interesting exchanges too

‘I need to know the budget implication’ (context) What about a Recreation Board’? asked Gina Garon rhetorically --- used to have one of those – now staff does all the thinking for us while we pay the $$

	Thinking about planning the ‘urban waterfront’
	I will return to this topic later in week –(see my earlier for background) --- Some interesting work by planner Here just some comments on CN station

	Iconic image of Rupert
	Some information came out on old CN station at meeting

	Carlick Pearson mentioned in passing the Mr Mikes franchise sign she had seen
	In the discussion (see about 59 minutes into the meeting on Video replay) the Mayor responded that yes, City owned the property and had it leased out to a tenant who was looking for tenants and also required to do ‘upgrades’ etc --- and that that lease was potentially expiring ‘this year’ --- more later

About 48 minutes into meeting Zeno presentation someone mentions that Port purchasing the Atlin ‘uplands – we had heard before the parking lot --- but makes sense all three lots being purchased	Atlin Uplands
	But what about the revenue from the parking meters etc?

	And SQCRD transaction ‘almost done’
	Came out in the November Financial update – more later in week

	Off leash dog park??
	Most the ‘visitors’ were letting their dogs run loose/ exercising

Created by LG on 10/1/2012

Last updated on Wednesday, January 11, 2012