Regular Council Meeting - April 11th, 2023

Did you miss last night's Council meeting? Check out the summary below for highlights of the main items from the meeting.

Council Summary – April 11th, 2023

• Council received a presentation from the Chief Financial Officer on the 2023 Budget. Since the initial draft budget was presented, the draft tax increase has been reduced from the original 15.7% down to 12.5%. The full presentation, information on the proposed tax increase, opportunity to provide feedback and interact directly with the budget through our budget simulation tool, and additional information is available on our Rupert Talks page: https://engage.princerupert.ca/budget2023
• Council opened the floor to members of the community to speak to the proposed Budget and any other item on the agenda. There were 9 members of the public in the gallery, and three came before Council to speak to the Budget. Questions asked as part of public presentations to Council will be answered by staff in the FAQ section on the City’s Rupert Talks page, with answers to be posted this week.
• In the Regular Meeting, Council approved funding applications to UBCM for Emergency Preparedness funding to upgrade the Fire Department radio system, and to support the work of the City’s Reconciliation Committee, which is currently in the process of being established.
• Council also received a report from the Director of Operations on the range and scope of capital projects proposed for 2023, noting that very little of these proposed works are planned to be funded through taxation. In addition to this report, in the Consent Agenda, Operations provided a memo that lays out additional details on the priority areas of water infrastructure renewal that the City will be working to address in priority sequence now that Provincial funding has been earmarked for Prince Rupert. A map identifying priority areas, alongside the full memo is available in the agenda package linked below.
• Council gave First and Second and Third Reading to Cow Bay Marina Fees and Charges Amendment Bylaw 3516, which will bring the fee structure at the Marina in line with competitive rates along the coast.