City of Powell River Council accepted an economic development strategic plan for the city and wound down the committee that created it.
At a recent council meeting, council was given a recommendation from its committee of the whole to adopt the report called A Path to Preparing a Long Term Economic Development Strategy for Powell River. Council gave unanimous assent to the recommendation.
Council was also asked to consider a request for extending the mandate of the committee. There was a recommendation that the term of the economic development advisory committee be extended to March 31, 2015. Councillor Chris McNaughton, who chaired the committee, moved that council provide the mandate extension. The term of the committee was scheduled to end Saturday, November 1.
Councillor Debbie Dee said she opposed the motion because the committee had completed the work it had been mandated to undertake and has come up with the economic development strategy for the city.
She said there are recommendations in the strategy that could be left for the next council. She added the new council could decide whether it wants to carry on with a different mandate for a new committee.
McNaughton said he supported the resolution for continuance because it came from the committee, and most of the committee members are volunteers who are willing to spend some more time on this initiative.
“This is similar to the sustainability committee,” he said. “They have requested to extend their time frame as well because the work is not quite done. I expect the new council will be able to appoint new council members to the committee, just as our council has done.”
Councillor Maggie Hathaway asked what work remained to be done. McNaughton said that one of recommendations from the committee was that the city contract with a private sector, non-partisan group that could assist in a professional way, completing the economic development plan. McNaughton said that would involve community consultation and all of the other aspects associated with coming up with a plan, similar to what was done with the sustainability charter committee.
Councillor Myrna Leishman, who chairs the sustainability steering committee, said there are sustainability programs that are extending into next year, necessitating extension of the committee’s mandate.
Mac Fraser, chief administrative officer, said the city’s staff is of the opinion that it is timely to thank the economic development committee for completing its mandate. He also said the committee had made a recommendation about a contract and that is a matter that would ordinarily be directed toward staff.
Mayor Dave Formosa asked Fraser if it was the staff’s thinking that an economic development committee was not required anymore, even if a new council wishes to re-implement it.
Fraser said that for the specific task of the economic development strategy, he thinks the committee has provided council good advice.
“A new council could decide it wants a continuing advisory committee,” he said. “The mandate set for November 1 has been achieved. Since it’s a select committee, they tend to finish in the term of office of the council.”
Councillors McNaughton and Russell Brewer voted for the continuation of the committee but the rest of the council voted against so the committee dissolved November 1.
