- Budget Meetings
Council and staff have started budget estimates’ deliberations, with a first meeting on April 4th to review general budget items. These meetings are open to the public and the next meeting is Wednesday, April 11th starting at 5:30 PM. I am impressed with Treasurer Patricia Walker’s presentation of budgeting using a format that is easily understood and combines budget and anecdotal explanation notes. I encourage you to attend these meetings if possible to learn how and where tax revenue is allocated on your behalf.
- Next Council and Committee of the Whole Meetings
April 10th at 7:30 is the next Council meeting, at which time the final report of the Community Engagement Working Group will be presented. The report wraps up nearly three months of weekly meetings involving Councillor Kevin Murdoch as Vice-Chair and myself as Chair, working together with Oak Bay residents Mike Wilmut and Tom and Jill Croft (representing local residents’ associations), Lara Lauzon, Elise Wickson and Oak Bay staffer Fernando Pimentel.
We hope that the report is approved by Council, given that the group completed a challenging task and made comprehensive recommendations about how better to reach out to our community. My understanding is that the report will be presented to a Committee of the Whole meeting later this month for public feedback. My thanks to Working Group members for their diligence and commitment to this initiative. It was teamwork that paid off.
There will be two more meetings this month, a COW meeting on April 16th at 7:00 PM and a Council meeting on April 23rd at 7:30 PM.
- Association of Vancouver Island and Coastal Communities (AVICC) Convention, Ucluelet, BC
From April 13 to 15, 2012, Mayor Jensen and Councillors Copley, Green, Herbert, Kirby and Ney will be attending the annual AVICC Convention in Ucluelet. The AVICC is an arm of the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM) and provides an opportunity for elected officials from all over the Island and Sunshine Coast to meet about common isues and topics. This year’s theme addresses the role of local governments in aquaculture and coastal oil spills and the Province will provide an update on BC’s job plan.These annual conventions are a good opportunity to connect with colleagues and to learn more about what other communities are doing on behalf of their residents.