Mayor's Report - November 1998

In the October issue of the Barnacle there were some important questions raised about the municipal Zoning Bylaw as well as our Village's administrative services. I would like to provide some clarification on the facts of the matter and set the record straight.

When Farrer Cove and Twin Islands became part of Belcarra in 1993 it was necessary to amend Belcarra's existing Zoning Bylaw to incorporate the new area. Council invited residents to volunteer to serve on an Advisory Planning Committee (APC) to review the existing Bylaw and consider how it might be updated. Thirteen residents representing all parts of the community came forward and every one was included on the APC. After their review they offered recommendations to Council and we then held both a public information meeting and, later, a formal public hearing before finally adopting the updated Bylaw in 1996. As it should be, this was a very open process and I am satisfied that the final result represents the views of our community.

It is worth noting that, on the matter of setbacks, the APC did not recommend nor did Council approve any changes. In fact, our Village's setback requirements today are the same as those that applied when the GVRD administered construction in Belcarra prior to our incorporation!

Can someone build or rebuild a home in a way that varies from the Zoning Bylaw? There are two ways to get approval for relaxation of standards. One option is to seek approval from the Board of Variance. (The Board of Variance is made-up of three citizens -- one appointed by the Province, one appointed by the Village, and one selected jointly by the first two appointees.) These three citizens may vary the Zoning Bylaw's requirements where they believe to not do so would impose a hardship on the property owner. Another option, generally used for more significant changes, is to apply for a Development Variance Permit that Council may grant. Council also considers hardship in making its decisions.

Not surprisingly, other residents are often concerned that their view may suffer when a neighbour proposes to build a home that is higher, wider, or closer to a property line than the Bylaw allows. For this reason an opportunity is provided to nearby homeowners to comment on such relaxation of the Bylaw before decisions are made. This does not guarantee that such concerns will prevent the changes being granted, but it does ensure that your neighbours' views will be considered before the decision is made. Sometimes discussions between the property owner seeking the adjustment and the neighbours result in mutually agreed compromises or adjustments. One person's red tape can be another person's only protection!

If a Bylaw needs to be amended or updated, or if it simply does not make sense to you, please let us know. To get an explanation or interpretation of an existing Bylaw it is probably most effective to speak to staff whom administer the Bylaw. If you conclude that the Bylaw should be changed you can speak to staff, call a Council member, or better yet, contact the Village Hall and indicate you would like to appear as a delegation at a public Council meeting. A "heads-up" on your wish to make changes will allow staff to have on hand any documents or policies that are relevant for Council to consider at the public meeting. You might also want to be prepared to offer the wording you would prefer in the Bylaw. Council is always prepared to consider improvements.

We have always sought to pay close attention to the quality of our services in Belcarra as well as to costs. It is informative to consider the two nearby villages that are approximately our size -- Anmore and Lions Bay. Although each municipality has its unique characteristics, I believe the table below makes clear we compare very well in terms of both our approach and overall costs:

FACTOR	BELCARRA	ANMORE	LIONS BAY
Population	700	900	1350
Number of Homes	~325	~484	~650
Length of Roads To maintain	7.7 Km	15.0 Km	10.0 Km
Village Office Open To Public	5 days/week	5 days/week	3 days/week
Office Hours	8:00 - 4:00	8:00 - 4:00	8:30 - 4:00
No. Administrative Staff (Costs)	2 ($77,000)	3 ($135,000)	3 ($93,000)
Public Works / Building Inspection:
Number of Staff (Costs)	2 ($60,000)	Contracted	4 ($171,000)
Seasonal Employees	-----	-----	1 ($14,000)
Contract Public Works	-----	1 ($37,000)	-----
Contract Building Inspection	-----	1 ($35,000)	1 ($10,000)
Total No. Staff (Direct Costs)	4 ($137,000)	5 ($207,500)	8 ($288,000)
Estimated Total Staff Costs:
(including benefits @ 20%)	$ 164,000	$ 249,000	$ 345,600

Notes: Lions Bay provides service at its office 18 hours a week but its administrative staff salaries are based upon a minimum of 28 hours weekly work. The additional time is provided to allow staff to complete their administrative duties without interruption. All Lions Bay Public Works staff are full-time employees except for a temporary employee who is hired for four winter months to assist with roads maintenance. Lions Bay operates a water system that, it estimates, requires less than one full-time equivalent to maintain. Both Anmore and Lions Bay contract for building inspection services while Belcarra combines these duties with the responsibilities of Public Works.

We may occasionally have differences of opinion, but if we talk these over openly and are prepared to listen to one another we can make any adjustments necessary to maintain Belcarra as the great Village it is!

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