Fees and Charges Amendments and Quarterly Updates – In Committee of the Whole, Council received a detailed briefing on proposed amendments to various fees, some of which have not been updated for a decade.
Comparisons were provided to other communities in the area in making the recommendations. Final changes based on Council’s direction will come back through bylaw changes for Council’s approval at the next regular meeting. Quarterly updates on Council’s Strategic Priorities followed.
Delegations – A local resident, the Chamber of Commerce, and UNISUS school each appeared as a delegation to Council. Suggestions were made on how best to improve and enhance engagement and partnership on various initiatives within the community and foster continued community vibrancy.
Council Procedures Bylaw Amendment – Based on Council’s previous direction to amend the bylaw to align with direction flowing from bill 44, staff brought back a report and some changes and recommendations to the bylaw. Council discussed the changes and indicated that since the opportunity for being a delegation is being expanded, reasonable parameters need to be put in place similar to what has been done in other communities. Council decided that each delegation will be allowed up to four times in a year, a maximum of four delegations per meeting, and delegation materials (presentation slides, etc.) to be provided ahead of the meeting for Council’s reading package. Further changes should also be made to ensure delegations don’t raise issues that would be inappropriate like matters in active litigation, human resource issues, or areas that are outside the jurisdiction of local government, etc. Council also directed that the afternoon and evening meetings be amalgamated into one meeting for efficiency, with development items continuing the evening portion, along with any public hearings, to ensure continued ease of public engagement and participation.
Summerland Aquatic and Fitness Centre Roof Update – Council received a presentation on the roof repairs that Council had directed through the 2024 budget process. Various sections of rot and corrosion were discovered in the current roof and more comprehensive repairs will be necessary to fix those sections before the shingles can be put back on. Council discussion noted that with an aging facility, it can be expected that more repairs will be required over time, with some of those repairs being significant and costly. Council approved the allocation of an additional $240,000 to the existing $110,000 budget, for a total new budget of $350,000 to fix this eastern part of the roof.
Climate Action Reserve Spending – Annual funding that has been received historically through the Climate Action Reserve Incentive Program (CARIP), and the now updated Local Government Climate Action Program (LGCAP) is part of the Province’s work to incentivize and financially support climate action work at the corporate and community level. LGCAP is a commitment within the CleanBC Roadmap to 2030, which was released in 2021, as a way to support BC communities with annual long-term funding to pursue climate action initiatives that align with provincial and local climate objectives. Council directed that staff consult with the District departments to determine additional projects that could be funded through the Climate Action Reserve Fund, and report back to Council.
Bylaw Notice Enforcement and Ticketing – Council provided the first three readings to amendments of key enforcement bylaws to improve the use of the tickets and increase fines to regional standards. Council heard that the Municipal Ticket Information (MTI) System enables prosecution of minor to medium contraventions to local government bylaws. An MTI resembles a provincial violation ticket and can be issued without attending a court or obtain a summons. The District’s has powers to issue tickets relating to the specific regulatory bylaws of the District Under the Local Government Bylaw Notice Enforcement Act, as an alternative to the provincial court stream in resolving minor local government bylaw contraventions. Disputed tickets issued under this process, are first screened by the District’s screening officer, and then heard by a shared adjudicator hosted by the City of Kelowna.
2024 Zoning Bylaw Update – Bill 44, 35 and Parking – Council debated proposed zoning bylaw changes that address conformance with Bill 44 – The Housing Statutes (Residential Development), Bill 35 (Short Term Rental Accommodations Act), previous Council direction, other administrative updates. The Bill 44 zoning bylaw amendments are required to be adopted by District Council by the Province by June 30, 2024, and are designed to encourage “missing middle” housing forms – triplexes, duplexes, townhousing and apply exclusively to single-family zoned land. The Bill 35 changes required amendment to Summerland’s existing Short Term Rental rules, which were largely compatible given the District hade previously demonstrated leadership in this area through comprehensive changes before the province made its own legislative changes.
Note: These highlights are intended to provide a brief summary of recent Council proceedings. The summary is not inclusive of all, agenda items. For a detailed account of the full agenda, including staff reports, other supporting documents and official meeting minutes, please consult the District of Summerland website at https://www.summerland.ca or contact Corporate Services at 250-404-4037