A three-pack of issues was looked at by district council’s Committee of the Whole at its April 18 meeting.
It was suggested by staff for the committee to recommend that council adopt six policies pertaining to:
• Code of Ethics
• Respectful Workplace
• Whistle Blowers
• Complaint Resolution
• Anti-Harrassment, and
• Conflict of Interest
Each policy contains points of interest. With regard to the conflict of interest policy, the document is geared toward employees, and logically created to supplement existing guidelines as they related to elected members of council.
The idea was suggested in a section of a 2006 administrative review commissioned by the District of Sooke and completed by municipal consultant Geoff Pearce.
Pearce had recommended “that Council’s policy is to require the following municipal officers and senior department heads to file annual financial disclosures. The following Municipal employees are designated to make Financial disclosures:
1. Chief Administrative Officer
2. Financial Officer
3. Corporate Officer
4. Director of Development Services
5. Municipal Engineer
6. Approving Officer, and
7. Fire Chief.”
The provincial Financial Disclosures Act requires elected officials and employees to make such written disclosures.
Mayor Janet Evans said as far as she was aware there had not been the same requirement as regards to unionized staff.
Sooke’s C.O.W. received a small stack of printed quarterly reports from various departments during the meeting.
The reports were accepted with a minimum of fanfare or related discussion.
Key points accompanying the reports included:
• Corporate Services Department – noted that council has adopted seven bylaws (including three zoning bylaw amendments and one phased development) since January. The other three were the Noise Control Bylaw, the Revenue Anticipation Borrowing Bylaw, and the Sooek Core Sewer Specified Area Cost Recovery Amendment Bylaw.
• Engineering Department
Briefly described were: the ongoing construction of the public boat launch; designs for the first phases of the Grant Road Connector and the Water Street roundabout; City Hall LED lighting.
• Parks and Environmental Services
A number of items including facilitating of Pitch-in Canada and Communities in Bloom initiatives as well as working with the Juan de Fuca Cycling Coalition to install bike racks; and working with LifeSport to host the Fifth Annual Subaru Sooke Traithlon.
• Building Department
Thirty two residential permits issued, total number of permits – 62.
• Planning Department
Significant projects included zoning and sign bylaw reviews; the agricultural plan and affordable housing procedure bylaw.
• Geographic Information Services
Updating and review of sewer, drainage and roads inventory; seven zoning map amendments.
• Fire Department
A fairly lengthy report accompanied the fire department’s quarterly report. Of considerable interest was the fact that, in light of recent disasters around the world, real interest has been spurred among local citizens and serveral new volunteers had signed on. Almost 24 members had become part of various programs.
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