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.

At the meeting, staff and council discussed proposed changes to the procedures bylaw. Highlights include: Deputy mayor appointment: The procedure bylaw states that the mayor shall appoint the deputy mayor at his/her discretion. Mayor Santo Talarico argued that it should stay that way, and that the mayor should have the power to both appoint deputy mayors and rescind those appointments. Coun. Annette Pittman suggested that the appointments should be made by the drawing of lots, but this suggestion was not adopted. The ability of councillors to opt out of the deputy mayor appointment was added.

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.