The Town of Creston had a quick council meeting on Tuesday, starting with the acknowledgement of the hard work the Creston Valley’s emergency services.
In a series of staff reports, Director of Municipal services Ross Beddoes announced 50 new building permits ranging from mobile homes, secondary residences, suites and other new construction projects.
A zoning bylaw passed through its second and third reading as well, with the purpose to allow multi-residential housing on a property previously allocated for a single family dwelling. The empty land is next the the railroad on 16th and Birch Street.
It was also good news for the future of the Youth Centre which lies on land acquired by the Town next to the former Creston Education Centre. Hazardous material has been removed, clearing the space for the local Youth Network. $46,000 dollars is being put into the space thanks to the Columbia Basin Trust. The Town will also use the space for storage.
A decision was made by Council to spend less at this year’s Union of BC Municipalities meeting in Vancouver. It’s a tradition according to Mayor Ron Toyota to forgo the $130 a plate Banquet and dine elsewhere. The Town will still be represented at the UBCM to meet fellow Councillors and lobby for change to make improvements to policies that affect municipalities similar to Creston.
The Town of Creston is also has also made the decision to adopting and offering an Inter-Community Business license. Roughly 23 Kootenay communities from Grand Forks to Fernie are involved.
The plan is for the Town to offer a $100 mobile business license to pair with the existing local $80 license.
It would allow a business owner to legally do business in all the West Kootenays, Greater Trail area, Slocan and Boundary as well as Kimberly, Cranbrook and the Columbia Valley.
Only 8% of mobile businesses in the Kootenays bought mobile business licenses in 2017, however the amalgamation of these business clusters may provide a greater incentive.
The program once passed would go into effect in 2020 and run as a pilot until 2021.