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EPI report details spending decisions for coming year

Council to consider recommendations on October 15
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The culmination of council's work over the last two years is coming to a head.

At its next meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 15, council will consider a report from the Economic Partnership Initiative (EPI) Committee that will detail a schedule of spending decisions for the coming year — decisions flowing out of four major reports.

"We're moving into the implementation stage," said Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden. "It's exciting.

"There is, as part of the EPI report, a schedule of spending decisions, including RMI (Resort Municipality Initiative) money and other monies."

For two years, council has been setting the stage for this report.

After the first year finding its feet, getting the municipal budget on track and a second year of looking at the bigger picture and commissioning a series of reports, council is now ready to make some big decisions.

The reports that forms the backbone of its decisions are: the EPI research report, which looks at the ongoing economic success of the resort, the learning and education report, looking at education opportunities, the recreation and leisure master plan report, and the community cultural plan, which looks at arts and cultural opportunities.

In an unprecedented move, the municipality will not be posting the EPI report as part of council agenda package, which is made public the Friday before every meeting.

"I think because it's got so much information in it, we want to really be able to present it in a comprehensive format," said the mayor. "It won't do it justice."

This week council had its third annual retreat to talk about the coming year — the last of its mandate.

Two things became apparent, said the mayor, as the team considered the reports.

The first was the sheer volume of work that has gone into them, particularly the community involvement.

"It truly was a broad-based community effort that went into all four of these reports," said Wilhelm-Morden.

The second thing that quickly became apparent was the synergies.

"We must have used that word about 100 times," she laughed.

Though the EPI report details spending decisions, the mayor cautioned that though Whistler has a five-year deal with the province for RMI money — about $7 million a year for tourist-related projects — it is subject to provincial money being available. The money is typically confirmed by March.

Unanimous again: Three years enough for council term

An informal email poll of council members this week shows the team is all on the same page on its views over extending the length of council's term.

The seven members are unanimous, as they are on most issues, in their opposition to the growing movement in British Columbia to extend council's term from three years to four years.

"I don't like it all," said Councillor Duane Jackson. "I think three years is a substantial time commitment, and allows new energy to be introduced on a regular basis.

"I like the dynamic nature of the three years that allows the community to make adjustments to council representation, as the community evolves and often demands changing skill sets."

Last month, the Union of British Columbia Municipalities Conference (UBCM) endorsed a resolution requesting the province pass legislation to increase the time between local elections to four years. That same resolution was defeated just three years ago at the 2010 UBCM.

B.C. is the only jurisdiction in Canada with three-year council terms.

Part of the UBCM's resolution stated: "Four-year election terms would likely be more productive for councils and staff and would save taxpayer money."

Despite the support from the majority of members, Whistler council remains unconvinced of the merits.

"One must also consider school trustees in this question and having been a school trustee with children in school at the time I served, I feel three years is the right term," said Councillor Andrée Janyk. "It is long enough to get work done, but not so long as to discourage potential candidates."

At last week's council meeting, Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden expressed her opposition too, with a view that the four-year commitment would discourage young parents, as well as those thinking of having a family, from running for office.

The next election is in November 2014. Councillor Jayson Faulkner is the only member of council to confirm his intentions; he will not be seeking re-election.

Rejigging the board of variance

Whistler's mayor is calling for more support to the local Board of Variance, which deals with "minor" changes to the size of homes, among other things.

The board deals with requests to relax regulations for dimensions, siting and size of residential buildings.

"(The variances) still can have significant ramifications to the owners and to the neighbours," said Nancy Wilhelm-Morden this week.

"These are significant decisions."

She would like to see the three-member board of variance increased to five.

Her call comes on the heels of a staff review of the board of variance process, sparked by a complaint from a local resident.

Wilhelm-Morden has now asked staff to appeal to the province, which sets the legislation for the board, about increasing Whistler's board. The size of the board is set by a towns' population, but Whistler is unlike any other town of 10,000.

"And we've got a built environment here that has a much higher value than the typical town of 10,000 residents," added the mayor. "It would be more helpful I think and would ease the responsibility on the three members of the board if their membership was expanded to five."

It is, in no way she said, a criticism of this board or any previous boards.

The board is a quasi-judicial body, separate from the local government.

Another hurdle cleared for Chevron

Getting the Rainbow gas station operational is a top priority for council, in as much as it can do to pave the way.

That much was clear after the last council meeting when council approved a development permit for the construction of the Chevron station and convenience store at the entrance to the neighbourhood.

"I'd like to see us move as fast as we possibly can," Councillor Jack Crompton told staff at the meeting. "I would love us to expedite this if we can."

When asked what still needs to be done from the municipality's side, staff said there are still some issues that need to be resolved, including legal documents. But the aim was to wrap it up in two months.

Council offered its feedback on the proposed development, which was required to reduce the visual impact of the built form of the store, incorporate green roof technology, minimize exterior lighting to lessen the impact on the night sky and the nearby residential properties, and provide a landscape buffer with the highway.

Councillor Jayson Faulkner remarked: "I hope that the choices (in materials) are done to a really high standard."

Pemberton requests meeting over Whistler fee hike

Is Whistler trying to bar Pemberton residents from using its recreation facilities?

Mayor Jordan Sturdy suggests that could be the case in a letter to Whistler's council, expressing disappointment in the new fee structure for non-residents.

This fall, fees for non-residents have seen an added 33 per cent surcharge on municipally operated recreation programs.

Pemberton council discussed the issue at a July Committee of the Whole meeting.

Non-residents are still prevented from registering at the same time as Whistler residents, and many therefore are simply unable to participate, said Sturdy,

"As this is the likely scenario for many key programs, such as swimming lessons, the Committee questions whether this program truly aims to better recover costs or whether the RMOW simply wishes to bar Pemberton residents from the facilities programming. The facts of the implemented program lend themselves to the latter conclusion," Sturdy asked in the letter.

He would like the two councils to meet "to discuss opportunities of interest."

Council referred the letter to staff.