Business licence fees
A majority of City of Powell River councillors voted at a special meeting on December 12 to reduce business licence fees for pubs.
Councillors Maggie Hathaway and Chris McNaughton voted in opposition to the decision to include pubs in a category with a $800 fee, instead of the staff-recommended category with $1,000 fees. Mayor Dave Formosa declared a conflict in the topic as he owns a pub.
In speaking in favour of the revision, Councillor Jim Palm pointed out that in the last two years, the fees for pubs had gone from $310 to $800 to the proposed $1,000. “Not only are they getting hit by the economy and provincial legislation and everything else, they’re getting hit by increases from city hall,” he said.
Holiday hours
City of Powell River is closing city hall over the Christmas holidays, as part of 2012 budget reductions.
Powell River Regional District is also closing its offices over the holidays. Both offices will be closed at 4:30 pm on Friday, December 21 and re-open at 8:30 am on Wednesday, January 2, 2013.
Additionally, council voted at the December 6 meeting to cancel the committee-of-the-whole and council meetings scheduled for Thursday, January 3.
The December regional board meeting has been moved up a week to tonight (Wednesday, December 19). It starts at 7:30 pm in council chambers at city hall.
Setting it straight
A long-term employee at Rocky Mountain Pizza and Bakery was misidentified in a story in last week’s Peak. The employee’s name is Angela Seeley.
