Fire Protection in Lake Country gets 'thumbs up" and other good things happening

The Fire Underwriters Survey (FUS) is a national organization that provides data on public fire protection for fire insurance statistical work and underwriting purposes of subscribing insurance companies. Subscribers of Fire Underwriters Survey represent approximately 85 percent of the private sector property and casualty insurers in Canada. FUS conducted an assessment of each area of Lake Country 'fire defenses'and found our fire services to be in very good shape.

Business Licenses in the District have maintained steady notwithstanding a bad 2009 in terms of economic growth. The number of full licensed business in 2008 was 638 and in 2009 621. This seems to indicate that businesses in Lake Country have developed the necessary resiliency to overcome the difficulties of the recession/depression. The District hopes to work with the Chamber of Commerce, through its newly formed Economic Planning & Development Committee, to increase those numbers and attract good quality business to our community.

Council will hold a Regular Meeting on May 4th. The new OCP bylaw will be discussed with the intent to give first reading to the bylaw and send it to Public Hearing, which will provide the District with feedback from the public. The Budget/5-Year Financial Plan will also be submitted to Council along with the Tax rate bylaw to conclude the 2010 budget cycle. The tax increase is 3.48% or about $9.5 for every $100,000 of assessed value of our property. The average assessment in the District is $502,000. If you have a property assessed at that value then your increase will be a total of about $48 for the whole property.

Kate Berniaz, our resident intern, has completed her internship and had a baby boy just last week. She has done a great job for us and we wish all the best for her in all of her future endeavours, including and especially that of mom.

Finally, Council members are participating to the annual Southern Interior Local Government Association, a chapter of the Union of BC Municipalities. During the conference, members will discuss many resolutions in preparation of the annual UBCM conference in September and also discuss issues and potential solutions for a number of matters. The Water Simplification Act draft legislation will be a hot topic that we are going to observe very closely.
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