Here are the notable topics discussed by the District of Summerland on April 24, 2023.
Committee of the Whole – Council had previously mandated a review of Council committees in November 2023 to ensure their compliance with the Community Charter and alignment to Council’s Strategic Priorities. Staff provided analysis of the committees, and Council directed that some changes be made to the committees, and that their respective terms of reference come back to Council for further review. A second item in the meeting was a discussion on the Domestic Second Service Program, with Council providing guidance to staff on the nature and content of a forthcoming open house, which will be arranged for the first part of June.
Delegation – Summerland Stone Fruit Triathlon – A proposal was outlined for new triathlon for the community on July 30, which will also generate support for KidSport Summerland. Council asked staff to work with the organizers on the operational details to see the event come to fruition.
Fundraising Partnership with Rotary – Council formally confirmed the Rotary Club of Summerland’s offer to engage the community and coordinate fundraising efforts for the replacement of the Kiwanis Pier at Gordon Beggs Rotary Beach, and further directed staff to liaise with the Rotary Club of Summerland to support their fundraising efforts. Next steps will include the formation of a fundraising committee, which will explore ideas such as selling planks with plaques, events to raise funds for specific pier features, and donation benches.
Roads and Water Management Plan – Council endorsed the Roads and Water Integrated 20 Year Asset Management Plan 2023. The plan is the culmination of a multi-utility risk assessment for roads and water mains to prioritize annual infrastructure investment. Four main components informed project selection including: 1) An assessment of the infrastructure likelihoods of failure 2) An assessment of the infrastructure consequences of failure 3) Risk scores (i.e.,combination of probability and consequence) and 4) Prioritization of projects based
on risk score rankings and community values. This approach provides Summerland
with a defensible, consistent, and transparent process for the prioritization of
projects for inclusion in the long-term capital plan. This plan will be available to the
public using a story board webmap and geodatabase which includes all the results of
the analysis. This tool will allow residents to navigate the 20-year plan, including top
priorities and condition inputs.
Municipal Top Up Program – A municipal top up program was explored that would
support residents who wish to convert their home heating from fossil fuel to an
electric heating system. Council received the advice for information and directed
staff to explore options further with the Climate Action Committee, with the goal of
reaching more residents through a broader based program.
Council Code of Conduct - The Community Charter requires that within the first 6
months after its first regular council meeting following a general local election,
Council must decide whether to establish a code of conduct for Council members or
if a code of conduct for Council members has already been established, whether it
should be reviewed. Council determined that since the District was an early adopter
of a code of conduct, and since it already aligns with the Charter in its present form,
that it would be premature to review it or make further changes at this time.
Public Art on Patios – A motion was brought forward to amend Policy 400.13
Downtown Patio License Procedure to allow participating downtown businesses to
work with local art groups to paint the concrete barriers of a sidewalk patio. In
Council’s discussion it was clarified that the barriers would be painted grey at the
end of the season, and that staff would work with existing structures in a safe way to
implement the initiative in the near term. The motion was carried unanimously.
Bylaws for Adoption – Two amendments to the zoning bylaw were adopted to
facilitate a rezoning of two properties along Bentley Road to light industrial to
accommodate a general contracting business and its associated activities.