Gibsons council set the water and sewer rates through a series of motions at the March 1 meeting.
The recommendations passed by council originated out of a series of meetings and, most recently, the corporate services committee meeting of Feb. 22.
Coun. Wayne Rowe, in speaking about the rationale behind setting the water meter rate, said the committee was trying to reach an appropriate rate schedule to implement water metering for this year.
"There were a number of different options as to rate structures, and after a great deal of consideration, we have chosen the option that achieves the goal of 67 per cent of the residential users in Gibsons paying equal to or less than the average billing they received last year," Rowe said.
"Coming up with this recommendation was not as simple as what is printed," added Mayor Barry Janyk. "There is always some learning that goes along with these things. We want to move tentatively, but positively in the future."
As for sewer rates, council has decided to maintain an existing flat rate structure for both residential and commercial properties for 2011.
"We again spent a great deal of time on this issue at the committee level," Rowe said.
"After further examination, we felt there would be an impact, particularly on commercial businesses in the community and several commercial businesses, so we felt that we should stick with the existing flat rate structure for both residential and commercial properties."
Director of finance Ian Poole said staff will also be rolling out a communication plan that will include both commercial and residential customers. Information on the both the water and sewer rate structures will be on the Town's website, and for the next four weeks, information will be contained in the Town's municipal memo in Coast Reporter.
"It's important that we give all customers a heads-up and information that the rate is changing and how those changes will impact them," Poole said.
Garbage rates
Residential garbage collection fees will be increased in 2011 by $3.
Council approved the new rate to be set at $103.50, up from $100.50.
Poole said the increased rate is primarily driven through increased volumes that are going over the tipping scales at the landfill site.
Poole said the motion was coming forward as this will be part of the new utility fee that will be going out to the public in April, and rate bylaws need to be changed and updated by the end of the month.
Molly's Reach stairs
Signage will be installed warning users of the poor condition of the Molly's wharf stairs as well as prohibiting the use of the stairs for commercial deliveries.
Council has also directed staff to bring forward the reconstruction of the stairs for budget consideration.
The condition of the stairs adjacent to the wharf leading from Molly's Reach down to the seawalk have been a source of safety concern for a number of years due to the deterioration that has occurred over time. Staff and council hope these few measures will bring public attention to the matter as they work on the repairs.
RCMP building
The start of the new RCMP building is on hold.
The facility, which is to be located adjacent to Brothers Park, was originally scheduled to be completed by September 2011, but the timeline has been pushed further, potentially to December.
Interim chief administrative officer Rick Beauchamp said that while the design cost of the facility has been completed, the RCMP has not yet signed off on the matter.
Council and staff will be pursuing further dialogue with the RCMP to get the matter dealt with as quickly as possible.
Gibsons Public Art Gallery
Rod Olafson, president of the Gibsons Public Art Gallery, appeared as a delegate at the Feb. 22 corporate services committee with a proposal pack-age for a grant of financial assistance.
Olafson also spoke of the success of the recent gala they held in conjunction with Sunshine Coast Habitat for Humanity.
Olafson said the event's success made the gallery realize how beneficial partnerships are. He also stressed the matter of the gallery being primarily run by volunteers and the importance of letting people know the gallery is "more than just pictures on the wall." They plan to focus on further fundraising in addition to their grant application.
Council will review the application and look at it during budget discussions.
-With files from Allie Nichol
