I've left out some things out of this quick summary. Will get better at this!
I'm looking forward to the first council meeting of 2012. After two meeting in December to start the term, we've had a long break. It's been a wonderful break in so many ways but I'm ready to get back to it. Council will undoubtedly unanimously proclaim Jan 2012 as Azheimer's month in Kamloops - in support of the great work by so many people who raise awareness and support people with Alzheimer's.
There's a couple of interesting development related reports. One is to legitimize what seems to be a minor error in pouring a foundation for a strata unit. Instead of being 4.5 meters from the property line (technically referred to as a "setback"), the building is now 3.75 meters from the property line. The developer has likely incurred a bit of a cost to apply for council's approval of the 3.75 setback. City staff are recommending council approval as, in this case, the error has caused minimum impact. These things sometime happen. An interesting line from the staff reports outlines the reason for required setbacks / building distance from property line - "the purpose of yard setbacks is to ensure site lines are not obstructed by buildings, allow open space on lots and adequate access to buildings, and provide separation to support other regulatory frameworks, such as the BC Building Code."
Another interesting report has to do with council supporting a liquor licence application by the Coast Kamloops Hotel (formerly the Kamloops Towne Lodge) to continue to allow dancing in the hotel and conference centre's ballrooms. From what I understand, and I am still learning, something has changed in liquor licensing regulations and the hotel wants to make sure it complies.
There are also two reports concerning homeowners who want to create more housing: the first from someone wanting to create a two bedroom "carriage" suite above a detached garage for a home near 10th and Columbia; the second from someone wanting to create divide one lot into two near the intersection of Glenview Ave and Crestline St.
Mayor Milobar has proposed, I believe, exciting and timely changes to how the meetings on the 2012 city budget meetings will be conducted. These involve three public budget meetings with roundtable discussions on the budgets of different city departments as opposed to one or two meetings with quite a bit more formality and with more of an overall overview of the entire city budget. I am looking forward to further planning discussions.
