Councillor Reed encouraged residents to call in or submit questions for the Budget Town Hall Meeting taking place on February 8th at 7 p.m. Council are keen to hear what the residents priorities are and this is part of the engagement process.
Councillor McKenzie echoed Councillor Reed's comments on encouraging the community to participate in the Budget Town Hall Meeting on February 8th. It's very important the public understands the budget process and provides Council with feedback on it. If you feel strongly, make sure and attend. He thanked the Parks staff for maintaining the Rail Trail and noted Oyama is low on supply of dog baggies. He reminded everyone that with the snow melting, make sure your drains are working and clean to avoid any problems. He concluded, thanking staff for all their hard work during these challenging times.
Councillor Ireland is pleased to see the Roads staff working on pot holes. It is tough times for pot holes, not just for Lake Country, and staff are out there working hard, kudos to the team. He inquired about the number of single family homes vs multi-family homes shown on the Building Permit Stats and suggested an update from staff.
Councillor Scarrow agreed with Councillor Ireland's statements regarding the Roads staff and continued announcing if you are a commuter using the transit system, please make sure and check the Next Rid App to find out if a bus will be operating. There is a large shortage of drivers and all of the runs cannot be filled at this time. The only way to find out if your bus is coming is to check the app.
Councillor Gambell has heard complaints about pot holes and asked residents to please be patient but also report large or dangerous pot holes to the District. She asked staff for clarification on the status of snow removal for the Cadence at the Lakes community in the Lakes Subdivision as a result of several phone calls concerned about large amounts of snow and long timelines for removal. She also reminded residents to make sure and participate in the Budget Town Hall taking place on February 8th at 7 p.m. If you are not able to attend make sure and email your comments to mayorandcouncil@lakecountry.bc.ca to make your views knows. She concluded with congratulations to Sam Samaddar, Director for the Kelowna International Airport who was elected as the North American chairperson for Airports Council International (ACI), a large organization that represents the interests of many airports around the world, which is a prestigious title.
Mayor Baker expressed his congratulations for Mr. Samaddar's recent appoint to the ACI.
Councillor McKenzie reminded the public to use the Online Report a Problem Form and Councillor Reed thanked the IT department for the new microphones in Council Chambers.
Youth Councillor Gill responded to questions from the Mayor that students are currently attending classes in-person but are being advised to be ready to attend online depending on number of COVID-19 cases in the school. He has noticed and is thankful for several new garbage cans in the community which supports the requests from Heather Irvine who presented at the the December 7, 2021 Regular Council Meeting.
Youth Councillor Schneider announced that the GESS Student Council is starting a fundraiser to collect hygiene products for the local shelters and Food Bank. Each grade will have the goal of donating different items and they are inviting the community to participate by donating water and food. The event is still in the works and will be advertised in late February with collections to take place between March 7th to 18th.