Council Highlights - Nov. 26, 2024

Regular Meeting
Tuesday, Nov. 26, 2024

Watch meetings live or via the webcast archive
Council meetings are livestreamed at westkelownacity.ca/webcasts and archived within one business day. To view the Nov. 26 webcast archive, please visit pub-westkelowna.escribemeetings.com.
 
Draft 2025 Budget deliberations begin Dec. 18 and 19
West Kelowna Council will begin Draft 2025 Budget deliberations on Dec. 18 and 19, starting at 2 p.m. in Council Chambers in City Hall at 3731 Old Okanagan Highway. The meetings will be livestreamed at westkelownacity.ca/webcasts. Council will seek public feedback early in the New Year. Remain signed up at westkelownacity.ca/subscribe to be notified about public consultation dates, and details on how to provide your input.
 
Participate in 2024 Twinkle Tour
Help make the season bright in West Kelowna! Nominations for the fifth annual Twinkle Tour are now open! Nominate a home or business holiday light display by Dec. 10. Winners in various categories will be announced on Dec. 17. Find contest details and a Twinkle Tour map at OurWK.ca/twinkletour. The map will remain online throughout the holiday season for residents to take the self-guided tour.
 
Council invites community to holiday Light Up festivities
Light Up, the brightest event of the year, returns on Brown Road from Gossett Road to Main Street, on Friday, Dec. 6, from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Council invited our community to join in the holiday fun, which will include activities for all ages, a craft market, festive music, food trucks, free hot chocolate, some favorite seasonal characters and more. Santa and Mayor Milsom will switch on the lights at 6 p.m. A high-altitude fireworks show is scheduled to follow at 7:45 from Memorial Park, weather permitting.
 
Help West Kelowna Fire Rescue fill the shelves at the foodbank
West Kelowna Fire Rescue is holding its 27th Annual Holiday Food Drive to help fill the shelves at the food bank. Firefighters will go door-to-door on Dec. 3 and 4, from 5 to 8 p.m., with a map to be posted online. Since crews cannot visit every home, bins will also be set up at the Glenrosa, Westbank, Rose Valley and Lakeview Fire Halls and at City Hall from Dec. 2 to Jan. 5 to help collect our community’s donations. Find details at westkelownacity.ca starting this Friday, Nov. 29.
 
Local government officials learn about education as a key economic driver
Councillor Zanon gave a presentation on a familiarization tour, which the Regional District of Central Okanagan’s Economic Development Commission organized for various local officials to gain greater knowledge on the increasing contributions of education to the region’s economy. The tour involved School District 23, Okanagan College and UBC Okanagan.
 
Presentation provided on Rose Valley Reservoir
Larratt Aquatic Consulting provided a presentation on Rose Valley Reservoir, the source water for the Rose Valley Water Service Area, including a brief history, its challenges and opportunities in providing safe drinking water to approximately half the City. While the challenges of the 2023 McDougall Creek Wildfire have yet to be fully realized and may not be for a further four or five years, the City is working with water experts, including Larratt, to provide solutions for the source water.
 
Zoning and OCP bylaw amendments adopted for McIver Road property
Council adopted Zoning and Official Community Plan Bylaw (OCP) amendments for an undeveloped, 2.47-acre lot at 3636 McIver Road to allow for the proposed development of the 20-lot final phase of the Glen Eagles subdivision. The amendments change the land use designation from Agricultural to Low Density Residential and the zoning from Agricultural to Compact Single Detached Residential.
 
Comprehensive development proposal adopted for Auburn Road property
Council adopted Zoning Bylaw amendments for a Comprehensive Development Zone that will allow for the proposed development of 401 units in five, four-storey apartment buildings at 2741 Auburn Road. Prior to adoption, the developer also agreed to a covenant to cover 100 per cent of off-site works: A roundabout at Auburn Road and Daimler Drive; restrictions to through traffic at Byland Road and Old Okanagan Highway at Daimler Drive; dual left-turn lanes from Daimler Drive onto Highway 97; road widening and on-street parking improvements along the property’s Auburn Road frontage; and, a traffic plan, at the time of development permit, to minimize school and industrial traffic impacts.
 
BC Active Transportation Application endorsed
Council directed staff to proceed with a BC Active Transportation Infrastructure Program application, seeking maximum grant funding of up to $500,000 towards construction of the Horizon Drive Active Transportation Corridor. Council also agreed to provide the City’s share of project funding, subject to 2025 Budget deliberations and favorable public tenders. The City hoped to construct some of the improvements in 2023; however, only one bid was received and the project was postponed in hopes of receiving more competitive bids in the future.
 
Rose Valley Reservoir source water improvements approved
Following a presentation on Rose Valley Reservoir source water challenges, including the effects of manganese, Council directed staff to amend the 2024 Budget to reallocate $2.5 million from Rose Valley Water Reserves for source water improvements in the reservoir. The improvements will include advance aeration and oxidation systems to be completed in 2025. Staff also continues ongoing monitoring of the reservoir, anticipates that the next increase in manganese levels will occur as early as March, and will be prepared to restart the temporary advance oxidation system to help manage any spikes. Staff will also be adding water quality test results, from 2024 onward, to the City’s website, to help improve transparency to the public across all water operations.
 
Building reserves for future service area improvements chosen as alternative to water credit
Council voted to retain approximately $425,000 in Rose Valley Water Reserves to pay for required future improvements, rather than give a $50 one-time credit to 8,500 connections in the Rose Valley Water Service Area. The credit was proposed to acknowledge that customers were charged for water that they did not use, because the City asked them to flush their lines to help commission Rose Valley Water Treatment Plant. However, because the system is user pay, ratepayers would eventually be billed to recoup the losses to reserves.