Bylaw officers
Residents of the areas surrounding Squamish may have to be more mindful of breaking regional district bylaws in the future.
The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District has directed staff to study the possibility of creating a shared bylaw service between the District of Squamish and Area D.
A decision has not been made on the matter, but it could provide some forward momentum for the possibility of increased bylaw enforcement in the areas just outside Squamish.
Staff will also be looking into whether similar arrangements can be made for the other electoral areas.
This will include implications for the 2018 budget so the report should be available to the board in time for inclusion in the next budget.
Currently there is one part-time bylaw officer who works for the regional district.
Loans for Squamish
The regional district has greenlighted about $1.32 million worth of loans for Squamish capital projects.
While the motion still has to be given approval by the inspector of municipalities, it’s almost a certainty that this cash will be received by the District of Squamish.
Generally, projects are financed internally or with short-term borrowing on an interim basis, and then transferred to long-term debt thereafter, said Christine Mathews, director of financial services for the municipality.
Projects are therefore underway – if it’s a multi-year project – or complete by the time the District transfers to long-term debt.
Squamish, Mathews said, is going to long-term debt through the SLRD for the following completed projects – Phase 1 for the Cleveland Avenue upgrades, a rooftop unit replacement for the Ministry of Forests building on Loggers Lane, a new fire rescue truck and annual water main replacements.
Admin building reno
The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District has voted in favour of making $1 million worth of renovations to its administration building in Pemberton.
Building improvements will be made to 1350 Aster St., which was constructed in the 1960s. Its last renovation was in 1991.
When the board first started contemplating the renovations, regional district chair Jack Crompton said the alternative to building improvements would be the construction of a new $6-million building.
Along with the implementation of a new layout, walls will be moved and the decades-old carpets will be replaced.
About 25 people work in the building.
Expenses clarified
A motion has been passed to adopt wording in the regional district’s remuneration bylaw that clarifies when the board can claim expenses.
The amendments to the bylaw “clarify the two ways in which authorization for eligible expenses can be obtained,” an information report for council reads.
Two categories of expenses, as shown in the revised portion of the bylaw, are automatic expenses and those that require authorization from the regional district board.
Directors are automatically entitled to reimburse expenses associated with the following: meetings of the regional district board or committees where the attending director or alternate director will be voting; meetings of regional district committees where the chair of the regional district board is an approved member; and meetings of external organizations where the director or alternate director has been appointed by resolution of the regional board to represent them.
When activities are not associated with the above circumstances, authorization from the board is required to claim expenses.
Expenses can include items such as costs for transportation, Internet, phone calls and meals, among other things.
