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City allowing year-round patios beyond The Platzl
Kimberley City Council Report
By Nowell Berg
On February 14, City of Kimberley council held its regular bi-monthly meeting.
Councillors Kyle Dalum, Nigel Kitto, Jason McBain, Darryl Oakley and Sandra Roberts were present along with Mayor Don McCormick. Coun. Kent Goodwin was absent.
Due to pandemic restrictions, the public and media are not allowed to attend Council Chambers. Meetings live stream on the City of Kimberley YouTube channel. Watch the archive here.
Sidewalk Café Update
Troy Pollock, Manager of Planning, presented council with an amendment to the Sidewalk Café and Street Patio regulations.
According to Pollock, the repeal and replacement of the old bylaw will provide “clarity” for business owners on the regulations and costs. It will also help the city with “enforcement.”
The most important change “will allow year-round patios in areas other than only the Platzl.”
It will also modify the fee schedule to establish different fees for seasonal and year-round patios.
The application and renewal fee will remain the same, but the per square metre rental fee for year round patios will increase to $20/sq metre. The seasonal patio rental remains the same at $10/sq metre.
Coun. McBain commented, “It’s cool that we’re getting something in place that will promote more outdoor activity and it will add to the vibrancy of the community.”
Pollock noted the expected revenue generated from the changes would amount to about “$1,000 per year.”
Borrowing Bylaw
Chief financial officer Jim Hendricks asked council to authorize the establishment of a $5 million “line of credit” in case the city needs to meet operating and capital expenditures before the influx of property tax revenue in July.
Hendricks said, “Its a precautionary measure to set up a line of credit in the event that we do need funds in advance of tax revenue being collected.”
Mayor McCormick asked Hendricks if the city had ever needed to use the line of credit?
Hendricks answered, “Certainly in the last five years we have not had to access this.”
KYAN Program Extended
Manager of Community Development and Communications, Pam Walsh, presented council with a request from the Kimberley Youth Action Network (KYAN) to extend the city’s support for the program, which is funded by the Columbia Basin Trust.
Walsh said, “We’ve been agent for three years. They [KYAN] asked for a one-year extension.”
Referring to the amount of time require by the city to administer the funds for the KYAN program, she told council “It’s not all that time consuming.” The city receives $5,500 out of the $60,000 KYAN receives to administer the program including “financial oversight and grant reporting.”
Mayor McCormick said the funding has “enabled a long standing program to continue in the community.”
Council approved the request for a one-year extension to the KYAN program.
Kimberley City Council meets twice monthly starting at 7 p.m. The next scheduled council meeting: February 28.
Lead image: A patio in Kimberley’s Platzl. e-KNOW file photos
e-KNOW
