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Councillors excused on school vote

Just three out of six councillors and the mayor voted on the final reading of zoning and official community plan amendment bylaws

Just three out of six councillors and the mayor voted on the final reading of zoning and official community plan amendment bylaws for the former JL Jackson school site.

Council members identify potential or perceived conflicts of interest for particular agenda items, if there are any, at the beginning of each council meeting.

At the Dec. 8 meeting, three councillors declared a conflict on the school district item: Couns. Alan Harrison and Ken Jamieson, who are full-time school district employees, and new Coun. Tim Lavery.

Lavery had stated during the municipal election campaign that he was retired from his position with the school district. He explained to the Observer after the meeting that near the end of the campaign he took on a part-time temporary contract with the school district that will be over Dec. 20.

“From that point on I won’t be in any conflict of interest for the rest of my term on council...,” he said. “It’s important to me to have that clarified as well – having a bare quorum of four is not ideal.”

He noted he was surprised when he saw the school district item was slated for his first meeting.

The purpose of the bylaws were to delete reference to the ‘Old JL Jackson School Site Development Guidelines’ from the OCP and to rezone two of the four lots on the site from institutional to town centre commercial. The applications had already been approved by council during the first three readings and public hearing process.

All three councillors who did not leave council chambers – Kevin Flynn, Louise Wallace-Richmond and Chad Eliason – as well as Mayor Nancy Cooper, voted for the final reading.

 



Martha Wickett

About the Author: Martha Wickett

came to Salmon Arm in May of 2004 to work at the Observer. I was looking for a change from the hustle and bustle of the Lower Mainland, where I had spent more than a decade working in community newspapers.
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