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The annual Winter in the Forest festival is coming on February 16 at the Kaslo aerodrome from 10 am to 3 pm. The event is organized by the Kaslo and District Community Forest Society (KDCFS) and raises funds for the Kaslo Housing Society.
The Village will provide in-kind support for the event, including labour and equipment time up to a maximum value of $5,000.
The Village will charge a $275 special event fee. Though it hasn’t been charged for past Winter in the Forest Festivals, the fee is being applied this year to ensure consistency and fairness with other events.
The Village will also communicate with KDCFS that future requests for support must be initiated by the end of October, to ensure requests can be processed; the Village may not be able to commit resources or support if there’s not enough lead time.
Council procedures
Staff presented a revised draft of the Council Procedures Bylaw, and council gave it third reading.
The bylaw sets rules for how meetings are organized, and guidelines for conduct and participation.
During the January 14 meeting, council discussed the bylaw in light of feedback received from the public. Staff prepared a revised draft based on the discussion.
Main updates concerning the public:
The first verbal input session is limited to agenda items; comments on non-agenda matters will now be ruled out of order. A second input session at the end of the meeting will welcome only clarifying questions about meeting business.
Written public input is also limited to agenda items. Council members will read written input on their own time. Input will not be read aloud during the meeting, but it will be included in the meeting minutes.
The public may submit correspondence to council – via mail, email, and a forthcoming webform – on any topic at any time. Council members may choose to include a correspondence on an agenda, but by default correspondence will not appear on agendas.
Delegations are allotted 10 minutes, and two delegations may present in a single meeting.
Outdoor burning regulation
CAO Robert Baker said plans to repeal the outdoor burning regulation bylaw will be put on hold.
The regulation bylaw was set to be repealed, as it was believed that outdoor burning in the Village is already governed by provincial legislation, making a Village bylaw redundant. Council gave third reading to the repealing bylaw during its January 14 meeting.
However, staff has since spoken with a natural resource officer, who gave insight into which acts apply to municipalities and which don’t. It may be that the Village should have its own bylaw to regulate what provincial legislation does not. CAO Baker said staff will also discuss with the RDCK before proceeding.
Council remuneration
The Village didn’t receive any public input regarding the Council Remuneration Task Force’s final report and recommendations. Staff will proceed with drafting a Council Remuneration Policy and making amendments to the bylaw, based on the task force’s recommendations. Changes will come into effect for the new 2026-2030 council that will step into office in November.
The task force recommends increasing the mayor’s base remuneration by $1,000 to $17,508 per year; and the councillors’ base remuneration by $500, to $9,369.75 per year. The task force also recommended annual increases based on the BC Consumer Price Index. Other recommendations were made on technology support, training, dependant care, parental leave, absence, travel and mileage expenses, accommodation allowance, and meals and incidentals.
The task force – comprised of residents Steve Anderson, Jeff Davie, and Tammy Horick – provided an independent, objective review of the remuneration, benefits, and expense policies for mayor and councillors. The task force used a guideline created by the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) as the basis for its deliberations.
Fees and charges amended for FOI requests
Council approved updates to a bylaw concerning freedom of information requests.
The fees for applications and access to records were changed to align the bylaw with Schedule 1 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy regulation, which outlines different fees depending on the service.
Bylaw consolidation and revision
Council adopted a bylaw that will allow the Corporate Officer (CO) to consolidate and make minor revisions to Village bylaws.
Consolidation and revisions to not change the substance or intent of the bylaw. Rather, they increase clarity and ease of reference by combining bylaw amendments into one document, and making formatting and technical improvements.
February 24 meeting cancelled
The regular council meeting scheduled for February 24 is cancelled. CAO Robert Baker will be attending a training session that week.
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