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Clouds dull SunMine revenue; building permits up 26%
Kimberley City Council Report
By Nowell Berg
On January 8, City of Kimberley council held its first meeting of 2018.
Councillors Kent Goodwin, Albert Hoglund, Nigel Kitto, Bev Middlebrook, Darryl Oakley and Sandra Roberts were present along with Mayor Don McCormick.
SunMine ends year in the clouds
Considerable cloud and overcast weather cut into SunMine production and revenue during November and December. Electricity generation for those two months barely reached 60% of projected estimates.
City chief administrative officer Scott Sommerville said the year did not end on “a great note” for SunMine production and revenue. In a report to council, Sommerville noted that MWh generation (1771) was only 90% of estimated and yearly revenue ($189,091) only 92% of the 2017 estimate.
On a more positive note, expenses for operating SunMine came in almost $20,000 less than expected which “closely match[ed]” the $20,924 decline in expected revenues.
Based on 2.5 years of historical production data, Sommerville said there would be changes to forecast production numbers in 2018 and beyond. In 2018, SunMine is expected to generate revenue of almost $189,000, which is $21,000 less than previously forecast.
Another great year for building permits
Saying it was an “awesome year” for building permits, Mayor McCormick noted the total value of all permits was almost $14,000,000. A 26% increase over 2016.
Revenue received from building permits was almost 17% higher in 2017 compared to 2016, $144,000 to $97,700 respectively.
The largest increase in permits came from the “single-family dwelling reno” category. Of the 236 building permits issued by the city in 2017, 77 were in the reno category which is a full 40% increase over 2016 numbers (55).
New single-family construction remained the same in 2017 compared to 2016; 24 new units each year.
Commercial renovations remained constant in 2017 compared to 2016, 17 permits each year.
Another category with a significant increase in permit requests was for “signs.” Last year saw a 52% increase in sign permits (38).
Summing up the Building Permit report, Mayor McCormick said it was a “great year in many respects.”
Fire Department training revenue heats up
Fire Chief Rick Prasad filed a 2017 third quarter (Oct. to Dec.) report on Kimberley Fire Department activities.
During that period, the fire department responded to 53 incidents.
Other key items in the reported noted 684 hours of firefighter training were conducted during Q4. Additionally, 48 hours of training were provided to the city’s “industrial training partners.”
All of the department’s firefighters continue extensive training, not only during Q4, but during the whole year.
The Chief’s report also notes fourth quarter training revenues totaled almost $55,000. Total 2017 training revenue topped out just over $100,000, five times the budgeted $20,000.
Councilor Oakley commented, “It’s a business within the city” generating significant revenue.
Regarding the 53 incidents firefighters attended, Coun. Middlebrook ask if that number was average, higher or lower.
CAO Sommerville said it was a “good question” and he’d ask the Chief for more detail on future reports. He would like the fire department report to provide detail behind the incident numbers similar to how the RCMP report is presented.
Coun. Goodwin concurred with Sommerville, suggesting the report should “expand on the details of the 53 incidents.”
Saying the level of firefighter training was “impressive,” Coun. Roberts supports firefighter “upgrading” which helps protect the community.
Kimberley city council meets twice monthly. All meetings start at 7 p.m. and are open to the public. Check the city’s website here for the meeting agenda. Click on the 2018 folder and follow the link.
The next regular council meeting will be on January 22.
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