BY LORNE ECKERSLEY
Advance Staff
With the formalities of taking an oath of office, recently elected Adam Casemore took his place at the Creston Town Council table on July 11.
Casemore was sworn in by town manager Lou Varela, who also had other members of council reaffirm their own commitment to abide by the Code of Ethics and Conduct for Town Council.
The council chamber was filled with Casemore supporters, and Mayor Ron Toyota commented on their relative youthfulness.
“Now we know how you got elected!” he joked. Most of the gallery remained for the short meeting, after which coffee and cake were served to celebrate the occasion.
In other council news:
• Casemore was appointed as acting mayor for November 2017, taking the place of the late Coun. Joe Snopek.
• Steffan Klassen, director of finance and corporate service, made a presentation about a proposal that would move the costs of garbage collection from property taxation to utility fees.
This issue was brought up during budget planning discussions, when a concern about equity arose.
“Some town residents don’t get garbage collection, but they pay for the service on their taxes,” Klassen said. “This would correct that inequity.”
He estimated that about $80 annually per household would be transferred from the property tax bill to yearly utility fees for most residences, saying that only the small number of homes that don’t have garbage collection would see a net change in costs.
• A public hearing for a development variance permit on a Cook Street property was held, and no objections were made. The property owners applied for permission to reduce the setback requirement to allow for construction of a small addition, and construction of a basement under the existing residence.