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Archive for the ‘QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL, STAFF’ Category


Comments on Budget at the Feb. 13 Council Meeting

In CITY FINANCE, CITY GOVERNMENT, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL, STAFF on February 13, 2012 at 11:50 pm

Ron Bolin: Feb. 13, 2012

Mayor Ruttan and Councillors:

Before you pass three readings of the Financial Plan Bylaw tonight, thus filling that mold with cement which, though it may not be fully set until April, becomes harder to rework with each passing day, I would like to ask that you give more consideration to this plan and to the hardships which it may offer to many, if not most, citizens of Nanaimo.

For as long as memory serves me, Council has approved budget increases which have considerably exceeded the increase in the BC Consumer Price Index.  This year that increase is currently set at 3.8% for residential taxpayers, compared to a BC cost of living increase of 1.7%. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tonight’s Hotel Revitalization Tax Exemption Bylaw – Why You should Pay Attention

In CITY FINANCE, CITY GOVERNMENT, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL, STAFF on January 23, 2012 at 2:17 pm

Ron Bolin: Jan.23, 2012

At its meeting this evening (Jan. 23,2012, 7pm in the Auditorium of the Conference Centre) Council will, among other matters:

“consider amending “REVITALIZATION TAX EXEMPTION BYLAW NO. 7143″ to include renovations to existing hotels and motels that achieves any one or more of the following:

  • adds services
  • adds rooms
  • improves the quality of the stay for the visiting public;”

A great number of questions arise from this this amendment and indeed from the original bylaw (which has not yet been passed).  Read the rest of this entry »

Doublespeak at City Hall?

In CITY GOVERNMENT, EMAILS TO MAYOR / COUNCILLORS, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL, STAFF on September 13, 2011 at 10:22 am

Fred Taylor: September 12, 2011

City of Nanaimo
455 Wallace Street
Nanaimo, B.C.

Mayor Ruttan & Council Members:

I ask the Council to ‘table’ the Report “Designation of Park Land – Park Dedication Bylaw No. 7137″ for consideration at the next Council meeting.

The public must have the opportunity to review the complete document; as of Monday morning, September 12, 2011 the Agenda has not contained a copy of the Bylaw 7137 either on the city web site or available printed copy.

There are also new parklands under consideration which may be included.

The report does recognize “24 dedicated parks by Bylaw” No.’s 735,  2255,  2671 and 2803.

To date, I can only recall Bylaw 2255 of Public discussion.

Why are these park Dedication Bylaws not on the city web site bylaws page, do we have something to hide ? Read the rest of this entry »

Lawrence Rieper on the new Zoning Bylaw

In CITY GOVERNMENT, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL, STAFF, UNCATEGORIZED on June 28, 2011 at 1:40 pm

Lawrence Rieper: June 27, 2011

NEW DRAFT ZONING BYLAW – REASONS AGAINST

OUTLINE

INTRODUCTION

A CASE IN POINT – WENTWORTH STREET

EXCLUSION OF SINGLE FAMILY AREA OF THE OLD CITY FROM BYLAW

RESTRICTIVE COVENANTS AND FAIR APPLICATION OF THE BYLAW

QUESTIONING THE NEED FOR DENSITY AND VARIOUS GROWTH STUDIES

THE NEW ZONING BYLAW – WAS THE PROCESS FLAWED?

ANNEX Read the rest of this entry »

Generous to a Fault

In CITY FINANCE, CITY GOVERNMENT, LETTERS TO THE LOCAL PRESS, QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL, STAFF, SOCIAL ISSUES on June 17, 2011 at 11:35 am

Ron Bolin: June 17, 2011

The words of Matthew (25:29) rang true on Monday night as Nanaimo City Council undertook the entire cost of installing a City sewer installation in the Green Lake area.  This will cost taxpayers about $31, 700 for each of 101 lots for a total of about $3.2 million. There was reputedly a promise to bring sewers to this and other areas some 36 years ago upon amalgamation with the city.  Clear evidence of the nature of this promise and the split of expenses has not been made public. Read the rest of this entry »

Annex Redux – Post Documentation

In CITY FINANCE, CITY GOVERNMENT, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL, STAFF on May 23, 2011 at 12:57 pm

Ron Bolin: May 17, 2011

  • How many buildings and homes in the city have the same problem???
  • Who is responsible for them???
  • What will the new building actually cost in the end???
  • Where is the value analysis???

While Council seems to have already signed a contract for the construction of a new city hall Annex, it is still worthwhile to examine the information which they have belatedly decided to make public in order to try to find the wisdom of their expenditure of our tax dollars.

Two documents are available on the City’s web site, a brief summary from the Herald Engineering  study (HE) on the building and a News Release (NR): “Answers to questions regarding new City Hall Annex” .  The following observations are taken from them.  Observations have been taken from the Herold Engineering report unless identified in bold by the notation (NR), the News Release. Read the rest of this entry »

Fred Taylor on the proposed new Zoning Bylaw

In PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL, STAFF on May 17, 2011 at 9:02 am

May 17, 2011

Fred Taylor, city watchdog, raised several issues at the May 16 Council meeting which he has agreed to have published here.

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Mayor Ruttan & Council Members:

Our Zoning Bylaw 4000 has on an ongoing basis been updated, consolidated and in my opinion a very friendly, understandable document.

I remain of the opinion, to rewrite the Zoning Bylaw with the idea of reinforcing our Official Community Plan establishes our O.C.P. of more than a guide for decision making on planning and land management issues.

As the proposed bylaw states -
“A need to update the Zoning Bylaw to ensure that it reflects the goals of the O.C.P. …..”

The Local Government Act Section 890 states -
4.  A local government may waive the holding of a public hearing on a proposed bylaw if
a)  an official community plan is in effect for the area that is subject to a proposed zoning bylaw, and
b)  the proposed bylaw is consistent with the plan.

I would say GOODBYE public, neighbourhood involvement!  The O.C.P.  may  no longer be a guide!

This new bylaw is how we conquer a neighbourhood for the developer? Read the rest of this entry »

Department of Land Use Change Management?

In CITY GOVERNMENT, EMAILS TO MAYOR / COUNCILLORS, PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL, STAFF on February 9, 2011 at 2:08 pm

Mayor Ruttan and Councillors:

In attending last night’s first open house concerning the new zoning bylaw, I was disappointed to find that several fundamental issues which I had previously raised remained un-addressed.

First of these is a representation of the magnitude and location of the proposed zoning changes, i.e. a map which shows only the lots which will be directly impacted by the update as well as those indirectly impacted by now finding themselves adjacent to a newly changed zone.  Such a map, which should be relatively easy to provide using the city’s GIS system, will allow citizens -and yourselves-  to understand what is happening to the city as a whole rather than the tedious lot by lot, map to map, comparison required by the present presentation. Read the rest of this entry »

Zoning Bylaw Open Houses

In EMAILS TO MAYOR / COUNCILLORS, QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL, STAFF on January 26, 2011 at 10:19 am

Posted By: Gord Fuller

As someone who lives and has lived in the South End for a number of years I have often been curious when it comes to the location of City run Public Open Houses around issues like the OCP Review, Parks Bylaw and most recently the Zoning Bylaw re-write.  I for one like to participate when possible towards the betterment of my community but I also want accessibility in doing so.  I am assuming many in the community are like minded.

Regarding the Zoning Bylaw rewrite I have been at a few things where it was discussed so was curious when it was announced at a PNAC (Plan Nanaimo Advisory Committee) meeting that there would be some open houses for the public to view the progress to date.  What got me even more curiouser, if that is even a word, were the locations of the open houses (see below). Once again there seemed to be a lack of any venue south of Third Street and while one might expect the Ice Centre to serve most of Harewood what about the South End, Chase River as well as other points south?  Why?

What follows is a result of my inquiry. Read the rest of this entry »

A Suggestion for Better Communication

In CITY GOVERNMENT, EMAILS TO MAYOR / COUNCILLORS, QUESTIONS TO COUNCIL, STAFF, SOCIAL ISSUES on January 24, 2011 at 1:21 pm

Ron Bolin, Jan. 24, 2011

The following message was sent this morning with a request for response.  I offer it here for NCH Blog readers with a similar request for response.  What do you think about this approach?

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Mayor Ruttan, Councillors and CAO Kenning:

A Suggestion for Better Communication:

In the interest of better community relations and communication, I would like to suggest your consideration for the development of a mechanism by which Staff, Council, and ultimately Citizens could be provided with coherent and complete routine information concerning complaints, requests for information and suggestions for improvements from the public.  Read the rest of this entry »

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