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Village council updates zoning bylaw

Village council updates a number of bylaws
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Keremeos Mayor Walter Despot accepts a cheque for $650 from Keremeos Volunteer Fire Department representatives Red Boscha and Joe Cottril. The cheque will go towards the Keremeos Community Kitchen.

Keremeos Village Council received a report from village staff outlining a breakdown of village costs for assistance during Similkameen Sizzle.

The village provided the equivalent of $571.23 in services, rentals and materials for the event. Council asked staff to track village related expenses in order to gain more understanding as to what the village’s donated services were actually costing, as the village generally is asked for in - kind donations for special events in the community.

Council updated three bylaws, including the Officer Position Establishment Bylaw, the Council Remuneration and Expenses Bylaw, and the Council Procedure Bylaw.

The Officer Position Bylaw was updated to reflect the change in  the treasurer position within the village.

Council remuneration was changed to reflect annual increases mayor and council remunerations of 1.5 per cent, authorized for 2010, 2011, 2012.

The Procedure Bylaw sets out rules for conduct of meetings. After some consideration, council elected to change the start time of the second regular council meeting of the month. Regular meetings of council will now take place at 7 p.m. on the first Monday of the month, and at 4:30 p.m. on the third Monday of the month.

Council gave first and second readings to the village Zoning Bylaw after a revamping that took place since the bylaw’s first reading in January. The Committee of the Whole gave it a thorough review and made several changes. It was also the subject of a lengthy discussion on Monday night as council pondered several other aspects of the document. A topic of some interest was the regulation of shipping containers in residential areas of the village. Council ultimately decided to limit the size of containers to the point where it would not be permissible to have one. The bylaw now advances to public hearing.

The Council Remuneration and Expense Bylaw also received first, second and third readings. Council members will receive $6,354 in remuneration and expenses starting January 1, 2012. The mayor’s position will receive $10,115, effective January 1, 2012.

Questions asked during question period included such topics as council’s decision to change the second meeting time of the month, shipping container policy, and fencing regulations.