As part of the reporting process on closed meetings, resolutions by District of Fort. St. James mayor and council have been released with the third quarter legislative report. The report will be presented at the District of Fort St. James council meeting on Nov. 14, 2023.
From July 1 to Sept. 30, 2023, some resolutions made in closed meetings by mayor and council and included in the report were:
Water & Sewer to continue to
District boundary, Resort Hill
A resolution regarding the extension of sewer and water services to the district boundary was rescinded and then a new one was adopted, as part of adjustments to the resolution. Mayor Martin Elphee said the plan to extend the services is still in place and the process should be completed next year.
This year, he said the work has been completed about one third of the way out to the district boundary.
Resort Hill will be included in the extension of services down the hill from Stones Bay Road to the Russ Baker Memorial.
Property owners will be able to connect to water and sewer, providing more certainty as the lake level drops for homes getting water from Stuart Lake. Property owners would pay a hookup fee, pay for the installation of service from the district property to the house and pay an annual utilities bill to the district.
Improvements in other parts of the community to water and sewer will also continue, upgrading existing infrastructure, he said. The timeline for these upgrades is four to five years. Factors like funding and weather might impact the timeline, explained Elphee.
Management group employees get pay bump
Employees at the District of Fort St. James who are part of the management group, were given a three per cent pay increase this year, retroactive to January 1, 2023. The three per cent increase will continue for two years and will be an annual increase taking effect on January 1, for both 2024, and 2025 as well.
Management group employees will also receive 1.5 days per month of sick leave, for a total of 18 days per year.
Council meetings may be or must be closed under a section of the B.C. Community Charter if they deal with certain subjects, including labour relations, litigation, negotiations with other levels of government, and the acquisition, disposition or expropriation of land or improvements, if the council considers that disclosure could reasonably be expected to harm the interests of the municipality. For a full list of applicable reasons for closing a meeting to the public, see the Community Charter division 3, section 90. However, a council must not vote on the reading or adoption of a bylaw when its meeting is closed to the public.