Minutes Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the Tahsis Village Council Held December 7 2010 at the Council Chambers Municipal Hall, 977 South Maquinna /2010 Present: Mayor Corrine Dahling Councillors S. Atkinson; A. Cameron; M. Davis Staff: Tia Russell, Administrative Assistant 26 members of the public Call to Order: Mayor Dahling stated that she would like to acknowledge and respect that we are upon Mowachaht Muchalaht traditional territory, and called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. Introduction of Late Items: Davis/Cameron THAT: the late item of Operations Manager Recommendations be added to th Regular Meeting Agenda under Other Business. Councillor Atkinson‐Opposed
CARRIED
/2010 Approval of the Agenda: Davis/Cameron THAT: the agenda for the December 7 2010 Regular Council meeting be approved as circulated. Councillor Atkinson‐Opposed
CARRIED
Petitions and Delegations: /2010 Adoption of Minutes: /2010 /2010 /2010 /2010 1. Minutes of the Regular Council Meeting held November 16, 2010 Atkinson/Davis THAT: the minutes of the Regular Meeting held November 16, 2010 be tabled to the next Regular meeting for adoption with the addition of the original Bouncehard Contract. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
Business Arising: 1. Village of Tahsis Policy #2009 Re: Security of Village of Tahsis Administrative Property Davis/Cameron THAT: the Village of Tahsis adopt policy #2009. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
2. Captain Meares School Grad Class of 2011 Re: Motion from November 2, 2010 Regular Meeting Davis/Cameron THAT: the Village of Tahsis grant a donation in the amount of $300 in addition to the original grant of $200 to the Grad Class of 2011. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
3. Young Anderson Re: Village Legal Costs from Petition Re: Verbal Report by Mayor Dahling Davis/Cameron THAT: the item be received. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
Public Input: Lucille Collins stated that the idea of a community garden was not her idea as Councillor Cameron had previously stated, although she thought the idea was great. Dave McIntosh stated that at the previous council meeting he requested that all resolutions regarding expenses for the Pillage at the Village concert be brought forward. Mr. McIntosh also stated that he would like to see the 2010 budget brought forward with the budget for the concert included. /2010
Mayor Dahling stated that due to the corporate officer being on leave, the information was not brought forward but she will try to have it for the next meeting. Dave McIntosh enquired about the status of payment from Bouncehard Productions for 35% of the loss on the festival. Mr. McIntosh also asked whether the Village will sue Bouncehard Productions if they don’t pay as per the contract. Mr. McIntosh also stated that Bouncehard Productions is advertising for a 2011 concert on a website paid for by the Village. Mayor Dahling stated that the Village is not planning a 2011 Pillage at the Village concert and that the website is not owned by the Village. Virginia Mountan presented Council with a copy of the dispatch report from an incident that took place during the weekend of the Pillage at the Village Concert. Councillor Davis had previously asked why it took BC Ambulance 30 minutes to respond to a call outside the Maquinna Resort Pub. Dispatch records show ambulance attendants were on scene 6 minutes and 15 seconds from the time the call was placed for help. Councillor Davis stated that he went to the pub after the festival and noticed RCMP lights flashing at the side of the building. He offered assistance to an injured person, but was refused by the attending police officer, who stated that the ambulance was on its way. Councillor Davis stated that he then waited approximately 10 minutes and no ambulance had arrived, he went home and then heard the sirens about 15 minutes later. Debra Conibear stated she is concerned that the Village of Tahsis has paid for a website that is advertising for a 2nd annual Pillage at the Village Festival. Ms. Conibear also enquired about sponsors for the festival and would like to see the financial statements from Amber McGrath regarding what they contributed to the festival. Lucille Collins questioned why Ulla’s Place was paid $7.58 per meal more than Maquinna Resort. Mayor Dahling stated the difference could be because Ulla’s Place catered behind the scenes at the festival. Mayor Dahling also stated that she will check with the finance department to see if this was the case. Reports & Questions: COUNCIL: Mayor Dahling: Mayor Dahling reported verbally on her new grandson, Hayden, born yesterday, December 6 2010. /2010
Councillor M. Davis: I am going to begin my report with the more distasteful aspects of being on council and then move on to the more positive parts. The first thing on my mind is that sad spectacle that the anti‐music festival group staged at the last council meeting. Prior to the meeting, they announced to anyone that would listen that they were forcing the mayor to resign and they even invited the media up to bear witness to this event. I first heard about it when it was announced on the logging company radio channel. This group could not get their way when they tried to stop the music festival and did everything in their power to ruin it financially instead. This included threats of illegal activities which I have reported on previously. This is the same group that successfully shut down Tahsis' only radio station – they must be really proud of that. Their court case to stop the festival, while failing, succeeded in damaging it financially and now they demand that the taxpayers pay their court costs? As long as I am on council I will ensure that they take responsibility for their own actions. Do they not realize that making us look like a bunch of squabbling children in front of the media only does harm to the community? In the big picture, most people out there could care less about the petty issues of a tiny community but painting us in a bad light will never help us to prosper as a village. But the saddest part of governance in Tahsis is that we have councillors that have been ignoring the Community Charter when it doesnt suit them and have gone to great lengths to undermine the will of Council in its decisions, including leaking information from closed meetings and walking out of or failing to attend closed meetings when we attempt to correct systemic problems that have dogged the village for many years. While I realize these comments also do not fit personal decorum, I have quite frankly had enough of immature and irrational tactics that only damage Tahsis and its future viability as a functional community, that we should be proud to call home. I have always acted ethically and understand and respect the will of council; that is, to argue passionately for my position before a vote is called but then respecting the vote when it is called and supporting it after, regardless of my personal opinion. I also dont blow with the wind when I make a decision, I stand by it. I support the mayor in her activities to put Tahsis on the map, fix the systemic problems with the village that we have inherited and to create an ethical, professional environment that our constituents deserve. We do not always agree and we argue about many issues, but I know that the mayor has the best interests of Tahsis at heart and that is why I support her. I would never act to harm her or her family and am disgusted by those people who do. Enough Said. Since the last council meeting, I have attended meetings of the Nootka Sound Economic Development Corporation, the Tahsis Heritage Society, the Nootka Sound Watershed Society and the Vancouver Island Regional Library. At the NSEDC meeting, we resolved to call a meeting of shareholders, meaning the mayors of Tahsis, Zeballos and Gold River, as we are concerned that they are not all on the same page regarding renewing the NSEDC. We have received encouraging comments from the provincial government regarding renewal and this is one cash cow that we can not afford to kill through inaction. I also reported regarding the status of the Upana Caves stair replacement. This was originally projected for completion by the end of August but by mid November had still not advanced beyond pouring some footings. I looked into this and have been informed by the Ministry of Natural Resource Operations that the contractor has now installed the stairs. I also reported on the unjustified felling of healthy fir trees along the Leiner River trail by their workers and the removal of the Malaspina boardwalk. On the brighter side, the contractor has done extensive work on the Leiner trail and has effected a cleanup of Pete's Farm. Ed Rowsell has approached me regarding a volunteer cleanup of the remainder of the site. I support this and will be talking to council regarding further assistance in this regard. /2010
At the NSWS meeting, I managed to secure a thousand dollar donation to the Tahsis Salmon Enhancement Society to help with its hydro bill. That is $3,000 donated by the NSWS to the TSES this year and I have thanked them for these donations. I would like to clarify a statement made in the council report by Bev Lynch in the last issue of the Record. It attributes salmon egg collection efforts to me when in fact I have never participated. Our local volunteers include Don Beamin, Bill Dwulitt and Frank Collins and I thank them for their continuing efforts over the years. At the VIRL meeting, I brought forward concerns raised by our librarians in Tahsis and will be following this up with a formal letter. I must also report that the library tax levy has been increased by 3.4% for Tahsis. This is necessary as provincial government funding to VIRL has decreased from 24% in the past to 7% today, in line with its philosophy of downloading costs to municipalities. I am pleased to report that library use in Tahsis is increasing rapidly with items in circulation varying from 1,100 to 1,500 per month. Not bad for three hundred people! Apart from these meetings, I have been very busy assuring the continuance of our best shellfish leases as the regulatory regime changes with increased federal presence beginning December 18. I met with our current shellfish stakeholder and a new investor yesterday and talks were productive. Regarding our water intake issues, our meeting with stakeholders has been moved to early January to ensure participation by all stakeholders. I would also like to report that our contract finance person, Michael Huffman, is making great progress in bringing our finances up to date while rationalizing the system and fixing problems that date back to before we took office. I would personally love to report in detail on the findings as I feel the public has a right to know but am constrained by due process. However, it will all come out when the time is right. Let me just say that Mr. Huffman has the knowledge, intelligence, impartiality and integrity to get the job done while imparting his knowledge to us on council. This gives us the tools to do what we said we were going to do when elected: to clean things up. Its great to see how far the community garden has come and I commend those that worked hard to make this happen. I would also note that Alisa Vanderberg and Michele Kowalchuk were recently invited to Vancouver to give a presentation on the progress at our garden and I’m sure they did us proud. Remember, there are many box beds as well as a greenhouse that are ready to go for next year. If you are interested growing your own fresh produce, contact our garden people. Councillor S. Atkinson: I attended a Parental Advisory Committee meeting. At the meeting the principal announced that there was a presentation acknowledging students at an assembly held at the end of November. In addition, there was an update on the Farm To School Salad Bar Pilot Project, the December 17 Christmas lunch and discussions on funding for possible upcoming events. The Christmas raffle draw will be held at the Christmas Concert on December 15 with the first prize being a 4th generation 32 Gig Ipod. Approximately three and half months ago, I refused to sign pay cheques with overtime for a part‐time and a Village office staff employee not at their regular work site. A Union of British Columbia Municipalities fact sheet on Conflict of Interest states that an elected official may not authorize payment of funds to someone not entitled to receive them. Since there was no Council resolution to authorize such payment I was not about to put myself in a situation of Conflict of Interest. /2010 There was no consultation with myself with the Mayor in regards to this matter. Instead the Mayor sent an email to village office staff stating that I am not to be asked to sign pay cheques or payments of any kind for the Village of Tahsis unless it is an emergency. According to a document on Council's respective roles, from the village's municipal lawyers, the rights afforded to individual Councillors are directed at providing Councillors with the ability to fully participate in the governance of the municipal government. With that said and now that this Council has adopted a Village of Tahsis Policy on the issue of employee overtime perhaps restoring my signing authority right should be considered by this Council and overturn the Mayor's original decision. There were two Special Closed meetings held since the last Council meeting. The first Special Closed meeting, which I could not attend, involved the passing of a resolution on an item which all members of Council were not informed of being on the agenda. According to the village's procedure bylaw this action is illegal. At the second Special Closed meeting I was expected to make decisions on the Mayor’s recommendations which are now on this evening’s agenda. In my frank opinion, I felt any further participation, on my part, would have been acceptance of the Mayor's "Breach of Trust" misstatements. Needless to say, I left the meeting. For two years now the village’s auditors have recommended that Council remain at an arm’s length when dealing with the day‐to‐day operations of the Village and that Council’s function is to provide guidance to staff, such as the acting Corporate Officer. Council is not to perform the job functions of the Municipal staff. I have a famous current quote to my fellow Councillors regarding their possible acceptance of the Mayor's misstatements. "If you give your trust to a person who does not deserve it, you actually give them the power to destroy you." Councillor A. Cameron: No Report. Councillor J. Schooner: Absent. Bylaws: /2010 /2010 /2010 /2010 /2010 /2010 Correspondence: 1. Corrine Dahling Re: Request use of Recreation Centre for Annual Christmas Dinner. Mayor Dahling left the meeting at 7:53pm due to conflict of interest. Davis/Cameron THAT: the Dahling family be granted free use of the Recreation Centre gymnasium and kitchen on December 25, 2010 to hold the 7th annual Christmas Dinner. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
Mayor Dahling returned to the meeting at 7:56pm. 2. Tahsis Salmon Enhancement Re: Invoice Davis/Cameron THAT: the fees in the amount of $141.12 as stated on the invoice to the Tahsis Enhancement Society be waived. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
3. Nootka Sound Economic Development Corporation Re: Requesting Shareholders Meeting January 22, 2011 Atkinson/Davis THAT: all members of Council be authorized to attend the meeting with the Nootka Sound Economic Development Corporation on January 22, 2011 in Gold River with travel expenses paid as per Village policy. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
4. Nootka Sound Economic Development Corporation Re: NSEDC Projected Budget for the Year 2011 Davis/Atkinson THAT: the item be received. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
5. Vancouver Island Regional Library Re: Appointment to the 2011 V.I.R.L. Board Dahling/Cameron THAT: the Village of Tahsis appoint Councillor Davis as Representative of the Vancouver Island Regional Library Board for the year 2011 and Councillor Atkinson as the alternate on the Vancouver Island Regional Library Board for the year 2011. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
/2010
/2010 /2010 /2010 /2010 /2010 /2010 /2010 6. Vancouver Island Economic Alliance Re: Membership Application Davis/Atkinson THAT: the item be received. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
Other Business: 1. Council Consensus Re: Memo from Tia Russell, Administrative Assistant Atkinson/Davis THAT: the item be received. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
2. Village of Tahsis Re: Notice of 2011 Regular Council Meeting Dates Atkinson/Cameron THAT: the item be received. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
3. Council Appointments 2011 Davis/Cameron THAT: the item be received. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
Councillor Atkinson left the meeting at 8:08 p.m. 4. Operations Manager Position Re: Recommendations Davis/Cameron THAT: Council adopt the recommended staff structure according to the chart with the revision that the position of corporate officer be added. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
Davis/Cameron THAT: Council hire an operations manager as stated in the recommendation. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
Davis/Cameron THAT: the Operations Manager, once hired, provides research and recommendations with revised job descriptions for administrative staff. CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
/2010
Public Input: Lucille Collins asked the Mayor whether she thought firing Rick Zerr was a mistake. Mayor Dahling stated that Rick Zerr was not fired and stated that she feels more help is needed in the office. Joyce Davies spoke regarding her name being on the Pillage at the Village petition. Sumeet Sharma commented on the financial loss on the festival and stated that those named on the petition should not be held responsible for the cost of the petition. A discussion ensued about the petition. Mayor Dahling commented on motions #224 and #225, regarding the festival, made by Councillor Schooner and seconded by Councillor Atkinson. Dave McIntosh stated he was glad to hear Mayor and Council are cleaning up the mess in the office by hiring an Operations Manager. Mr. McIntosh questioned why correspondence item #3 (legal costs from the petition) was on the agenda. Mayor Dahling stated that the reason the legal fees are on the agenda is for the public to see that the village will be paying 40% of the costs. Mike Mountan stated that the Village should be pursing Ms. McGrath for costs as strongly as they are going after the petitioners. Lucille Collins enquired about the status of the aquaculture tenures. Councillor Davis stated the tenures were all in delinquency but he has negotiated extensions. Councillor Davis also stated that the Village won’t be renewing all tenures due to lack of use. Dave McIntosh enquired about when the hiring of the Operations Manager will be happening. Lucille Collins enquired about the salary of the Operations Manager. Kim Anderson stated that she would like to see a qualified person brought into the office. A discussion ensued regarding the Mais software program used in the office. /2010
Adjournment: Davis/Cameron That: the meeting be adjourned at 9:01 pm. /2010 CARRIED‐UNANIMOUS
Certified correct this 15th day of December, 2010 Adopted by Council this ____ day of ___________, 2010 _______________________________
Mayor Corporate Officer /2010