Cache Creek Council Meeting Oct 13 2020 Part 2

All five members of Cache Creek council were present at the Committee of the Whole meeting (5:30 p.m.) and regular board meeting (7 p.m.) on Tuesday, Oct. 13.

Council meeting dates: For many years the Cache Creek and Ashcroft council meetings have both been on the second and fourth Mondays of each month, with the two councils alternating the start times between 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. This is now impeding filming of the meetings, and the ability of council members from one community to attend the other’s meetings. It was decided to move the Cache Creek meetings to the first and third Mondays of each month, and have them start consistently at 6 p.m. It was also decided not to add a formal second meeting to July and August at this time, but to judge that on an as needed basis.

Electronic meetings: It was decided to leave it that electronic (virtual) meetings would only take place if it was mandated due to something such as a provincial state of emergency. Participation of individual council members via electronic means under certain circumstances is still allowed.

Water meters Following the discussion about the procedures bylaw, Talarico noted that the introduction of water metering in the Village would probably be contentious, as it has been in other communities. He said that water meters not only establish the amount of water usage per property, they are important in detecting if there are leaks on a line and where those leaks are. He said that there are two options for the placement of water meters: at the curb or in the house/building. Placing them at the curb, he said, was important in determining whether — if a water leak was suspected — it was between the meter and the building, or in the Village’s system.

Talarico also noted the installation cost. Unlike in rural areas of the TNRD where water meters are being installed, in Cache Creek there are curbs, gutters, sidewalks, landscaping, and other infrastructure that will be impacted if meters are installed. Coun. Wendy Coomber said she hoped water meters were brought in sooner rather than later.

Dalsin said he was CAO in Chase when meters were brought in and they heard a lot of concerns, particularly from families with children and from those who take pride in their landscaping. Once they were installed, he added, they received many compliments, with people saying it was informative to see how much water they were using/wasting. Coun. Sue Peters noted that when every drop of water coming out of taps has to be pumped and treated, monitoring water usage and conserving water is important.

Airport fencing Replacement of the fencing at the Campbell Hill airport, which was destroyed in the Elephant Hill wildfire in 2017, has now been fully replaced.

Community Hall use Coun. Sue Peters asked for information about Community Hall use. Dalsin said there is a COVID-19 checklist for hall users, which contains eight or so requirements. He said that there has been very little push back from user groups.

Gold Country Communities Society

A decision about allowing two Electoral Areas (“M” and “N”) to be released from two TNRD Gold Country Communities Services Establishment Bylaws was deferred at the request of Coun. Lisa Dafoe, who asked that more information about the matter be obtained from GCCS. Talarico also asked for more information from the TNRD about the request, which requires that six of the nine signatories (Cache Creek, Ashcroft, Clinton, Lytton, and TNRD Electoral Areas “E”, “I”, “J”, “M”, and “N”) give their approval. The departure of the two Electoral Areas would mean a loss of funding of approximately $30,000 per year for GCCS, which the remaining signatories could (or could not) agree to cover.

All minutes and agendas for Cache Creek council meetings can be found on the Village’s website at http://www.village.cachecreek.bc.ca/. The next scheduled regular meeting of council is on Monday, Oct. 26 at 4:30 p.m.