Increased election terms was a hot topic when District of Squamish council voted to maintain a three-year mandate during a Committee of the Whole meeting March 23 - and the dispute was no less intense when addressed at this year's Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) annual convention in Whistler from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1.
The four-day conference addressed 165 issues ranging from provincial regulations to community programs to green initiatives, and the most controversial by far was the decision not to endorse increasing election terms from three to four years.
At the March 23 Committee of the Whole, Mayor Greg Gardner said he would have thought twice about committing to four years as mayor when he ran for the seat in 2008 and according to Gardner, a number of more rural municipalities shared that concern.
Rural communities' councillors said it would be difficult to find a mayor and council members to commit to that length of time, whereas councillors from urban areas were more supportive of the longer term because it meant less frequent campaign costs.
More than 40 minutes of lengthy discussions preceded the floor vote where all elected officials stand to endorse, or not endorse, a resolution, and some confusion led to dispute about the final number.
A ballot vote, not a usual UBCM occurrence, was held the next day and the resolution was to maintain the three-year term.
It was also announced that the additional hotel revenue tax of two per cent tax would be continued.
"That revenue is returned to the municipalities for tourism marketing and that is the principal source of revenue for Tourism Squamish," said Gardner.
"For that reason, we were pleased to hear that."
He said because the Harmonized Sales Tax was introduced to replace provincial transaction taxes, Squamish had been concerned the hotel tax would also disappear.
Gardner said a very positive component of the weeklong conference was an impromptu multi-council dinner that included the District of Squamish, the Resort Municipality of Whistler, the Village of Pemberton, the Squamish Lillooet Regional District and West Vancouver-Sea to Sky MLA Joan McIntyre.
"It was not a business meeting but a really good opportunity for us to connect with those elected officials," said Gardner.
"Often in our busy schedules, we don't have an opportunity to talk about issues that are facing us - both the similarities and the differences."
The UBCM also endorsed a District of Squamish motion calling on the province to commit resources to fund education programs and take action to fight invasive species.
In response to the resolution, the province referenced its role and responsibility for noxious weed management in parks and protected areas and in administering the Integrated Pest Management Act.
The province also indicated that the Invasive Plant Council provides public education and facilitates government and non-government members in addressing invasive weed issues.
The province also highlighted its provincial inventory and treatment database.
