Council Meeting Highlights - January 27th, 2025

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The agenda and live stream of the January 27th meeting is linked below. Official meeting minutes will be available to the public once approved by Council at an upcoming meeting.

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Delegations and Presentations

Long-term Grant Recipient Presentations - Kimberley Trails Society and Healthy Kimberley Food Recovery Depot

Ryan MacKenzie from the Kimberley Trails Society and Shannon Grey Duncan from the Healthy Kimberley Food Recovery Depot provided updates to Council, discussing last year's successes and plans for 2025. Both organizations are Long-term Grant recipients and are required to provide annual update reports as per Community Grants Policy No. FIN004. Watch the presentations in their entirety at the YouTube link above or check out the meeting agenda for narrative reports.

Kimberley Health Centre Society

As a reporting society to the City, the Health Centre Society presents annually to Council on the health of the organization. Board President Ingrid Leipa and Treasurer Travis Martin provided an update on the highlights of 2024 and upcoming plans for 2025. The purpose of the presentation was also to request that the Council consider a $100,000 loan to the Society for the purchase of new Rooftop HVAC Units, as the current units have reached the end of their serviceable life. Following the presentation, Council directed staff to prepare a report and loan agreement documents for consideration at a future Council meeting. More information will follow.

Regulatory Options for Future Drive-Through and Gas Station Developments

As previously requested by Council, Manager of Planning Troy Pollock and City Planner Erian Scott-Iversen presented a series of future bylaw options for regulating gas stations and drive-throughs in Kimberley. The report outlined several possible directions for Council’s consideration, including limiting the number of such businesses and specific development regulations along with identifying more permissive or restrictive options such as prohibiting future gas stations and drive-throughs altogether. Ultimately, Council voted to direct staff to develop a bylaw that prohibits any future development of drive-through or gas station proposals. A formal bylaw will be brought back for consideration of first reading at a future meeting. For the full report and to watch the discussion playback, follow the links above. This topic begins at the 56:20 mark on the YouTube video.

Fire Chief seeks Council support for partnering with the Regional District of East Kootenay on another grant application

Fire Chief Will Booth received Council authorization for the Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) to include the City of Kimberley in a joint application, along with other East Kootenay Emergency Management program members, to the Union of BC Municipalities Emergency Operations Centres Equipment and Training Grant. If received, the RDEK will manage the grant on behalf of the City and other regions, implementing the East Kootenay Emergency Operations Centre Modernization Project. The project is detailed in the staff report, which is available in the meeting agenda at the link above.

2024 Financial Update Report and 2024 Fourth Quarter Procurement Report

CFO Krista Waite presented the 2024 Financial Update Report and the 2024 Fourth Quarter Procurement Report to Council for information. The figures in the 2024 Financial Update are preliminary, pending completion of the external audit and 2024 year-end closing procedures. The Procurement Report is presented quarterly to provide Council with information related to the procurement of construction, goods, and services where a formal solicitation process was performed. Both reports are available for public viewing at the meeting agenda link above.

2024 Fourth Quarter Animal Control and Bylaw Report

Bylaw Enforcement Officer Lever shared his Fourth Quarter Animal Control and Bylaw Report, noting that calls for service increased to 232 in 2024, up from 199 in 2023. The report includes data on the nature of the calls, the number of warnings and tickets issued, and an analysis of both animal control and bylaw enforcement efforts. The report is available for public viewing at the meeting agenda link above.

Fourth Quarter Administration Update

CAO Jim Hendricks presented the Fourth Quarter Administration Update which is intended to provide Council and the general public with timely information on City operations, projects and initiatives which may not otherwise make its way onto a Council meeting agenda. Items of note include the completion of the Cominco Gardens washroom renovations and building facade upgrades as well as the upcoming garden rejuvination project in 2025; the expanded Peak to Platzl Winter Shuttle with new service to the Kimberley Nordic Club; and the new Community Wildfire Resiliency Plan slated to come before Council in the coming months. Learn about these and other initiatives in the update at the agenda link above. 

The Council meeting concluded at 9:00 p.m., at which point an In-Camera Meeting was conducted.