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Council had a full and busy agenda at its April 13 meeting, with some of
the following items;
Revelstoke
Literacy Action Committee:
Patricia Sieber from the Revelstoke Literacy Action Committee gave a
presentation on some upcoming workshops on literacy that the committee
is sponsoring. These workshops are to be held on Monday May 3. As Mrs.
Sieber pointed out, there are many factors that contribute to poor
literacy. Two of the these, Dyslexia and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder, are the focus of the workshops. As it is recognized that
literacy is important to the social and economic health of our
community, the Literacy Committee is hoping to reach a broad base of
interested individuals in the community that would find these workshops
very useful. The workshops are free and open to everyone so watch for
further details.
British
Columbia Community Achievement Awards:
Council has received notice that former Mayor, Dr. Geoff Battersby, has
been one of this year's 36 recipients of the British Columbia Community
Achievement Awards. Dr. Battersby's commitment to Revelstoke is well
known and Council takes great pleasure on congratulating Dr. Battersby
on his award.
GST rebate
for municipalities:
Council received some information from the Federation of Canadian
Municipalities about the Federal Government's 100% GST rebate for
municipalities. Although government legislation on this has not been
dealt with yet, it is expected that it will mean a $100,000 savings for
the City of Revelstoke. The savings will be approximately $50,000.00 on
operations and $50,000.00 on Capital. These savings have been accounted
for in this years budget and were designated to reduce the amount of
taxation required to meet operational and capital needs. In addition, we
should save up to $100,000 on the Aquatic Centre project. Also, Council
has now received notification of this year's unconditional grants from
the provincial government. The City of Revelstoke will receive a total
of $322,520 to be used to help deliver much needed services to the
residents of Revelstoke.
City of
Revelstoke Budget and Five Year Plan:
Council has to approve its budget and five year plan by May 15. There is
now an opportunity for public input on these documents. Ads have run in
the local paper or you can access the plans on the Internet
here or by coming in to City Hall.
The budget for this year anticipates a property tax increase of 10%.
This increase is made up of the following: Increased snow removal
costs-3.75%, the Aquatic Centre-4.03%, other debt repayment-0.90% and
other cost pressures like inflation-1.32%. Council is also proposing
changes in utility rates that would increase residential water rates by
$5.00 per year, sewer rates by $3.00 per year and garbage rates by $2.00
per year. These small increases are needed to continue to meet
inflationary pressure and current and future capital requirements.
Council would appreciate input as soon as possible so we can consider
this before the May 15 deadline for approval.
Mayor's
Advisory Committee on Health Care:
The Mayor's Advisory Committee on Health Care is currently in the
process of planning public meetings to gather input from the community
on health care issues. The Committee wants to hear from the public about
what residents see as concerns about health care and, also, what
residents suggest as possible solutions or resolutions to deal with
their concerns. There will be a meeting for Health Care workers this
week and, then, one for the general public on Tuesday May 4, beginning
at 7:00pm at the Community Centre.
Mount
Mackenzie:
The review of the Master Plan for Mt. Mackenzie by consultants hired by
the City continues and when plans for public consultation are finalized
an announcement will be made as to place and time.
Bear Aware
Program:
Lastly, for this week's report, Council has agreed to become the sponsor
for the Bear Aware program. It is safe to say that people see this as a
very important initiative and Council is pleased to be able to provide
this support so the program can continue. This is strictly an
administrative role and will not result in further costs to the City.
Prepared by
Councillor Bill MacFarlane
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