District of 100 Mile House councillors went through a number of business items during the Feb. 5 council meetings.
Carbon neutrality
District planner Joanne Doddridge led the discussion on a draft Corporate Carbon Neutral Plan for council's review and discussion.
Noting it was very comprehensive, Doddridge said it was intended to be a guidance or planning document for the district, as it would change as guidelines are updated and as council makes decisions on what to prioritize.
Councillor Ralph Fossum asked if it would change how the district operates, and Doddridge said it would make significant changes.
Noting that if council just received the plan, the planner said it would be agreeing to the recommendations in the document. She suggested council might want to prioritize what changes it wants to work on.
Fossum said when he read the document, it struck him that if the district makes the suggested changes, it would significantly reduce service levels. There were nods of agreement around the table.
Mayor Mitch Campsall noted there would be a huge financial burden to do everything. He added the district is already looking at its fleet of vehicles and equipment, and is changing over to energy-efficient vehicles and multi-use equipment to help reduce greenhouse gases.
At the end of the discussion, it was decided to direct staff to prioritize options that would be economically feasible and have the greatest impact on carbon neutrality.
Sani station agreement
Noting there were concerns voiced a couple of years ago about Cariboo Regional District residents using the 100 Mile House sani station as water refilling site, the CRD offered to share half of the operation costs.
Council unanimously agreed to give a three-year renewal to the existing agreement, and accepted the increased funding from the regional district – taking it from $2,000 to $2,500 per year.
Development fees
Council gave first, second and third reading to the Land Use & Development Permit Application and Fees Bylaw.
The move is to bring the fees in line with the district's actual cost to process them.
Development permits
Council gave first and second reading to an Official Community Plan Amendment Bylaw to deal with development permit exemptions.
This bylaw would reduce some of the work for both the developers and district staff.