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WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 2015
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Rural advisors seek input By Jackie Lieuwen Houston Today
Rural Advisory Council members are looking for public input on the issues facing rural communities. The Rural Advisory Council was formed by the province in March 2015, and mandated to give input to B.C. government decisions on behalf of rural B.C. communities. Houston’s former mayor Bill Holmberg is one of 14 council members from across B.C. Holmberg says their key focus is on the big picture of what is best for all rural communities in B.C. “Some of my biggest priorities are health care for rural communities and education,” he said. “You’re not going to have rural communities if you don’t have decent health care.” They will also discuss a rural
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“My biggest priorities are health care for rural communities and education,” - Bill Holmberg
dividend and First Nations settlements, Holmberg said. Right now, members of the Rural Advisory Council are seeking input from their communities on topics to discuss. Holmberg says he plans to meet with mayors and councils of Houston, Smithers and Hazelton, as well as with local First Nations.
CHARRED Hillside
Jackie Lieuwen/Houston Today
Fire tore through four hectares of forest on the hillside west of Perow Loop Road last Tuesday. The Topley Fire Department contained the blaze, which was burning rapidly in the high winds. Topley Fire Chief Byron Sketchley says the fire was caused by a downed power line and no buildings were damaged by the blaze. The Topley Fire Department was called in at 7 p.m. and an initial attack crew from the Wildfires Branch in Burns Lake took over the fire at 9 p.m. and did the final mop up.
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Five-year budget highlights water and highway projects By Jackie Lieuwen Houston Today
The District is forecasting an average of 2.7 percent property tax increases for the next five years. It is part of how the District has rebalanced the budget after they lost $480,000 in taxes
due to the closure of Houston Forest Products (HFP), said Director of Finance William Wallace. The budget was balanced through annual 2.7 percent tax increases and $328,000 in District cost cuts in 2015. Mayor and council approved a five-
year (2015 to 2019) financial plan at a meeting last Tuesday. Wallace said the five-year forecast factors in expected operating and energy cost increases estimated at 2.25 percent. The budget also assumes that the district will continue
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to transition well through the impacts of the mill closure. Wallace says the active residential real estate market has been “pretty encouraging.” He also notes that the $480,000 HFP tax loss was partly offset in 2015 by $25,000 invested in
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new construction in Houston. There are three major projects in the five-year plan. (1) Finalizing the water treatment plant construction is a $1.7 million project that will be done this year. (2) With a water tower needing repair, the District plans
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to develop a design for a new water storage reservoir and transmission upgrades this year. They plan to construct a new water reservoir in 2016 with a forecasted at $2.4 million. Depending on grants, they plan to refurbish the old
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reservoir in 2017, estimated at $700,000. (3) This year, the District will decide what they want to do for a Highway 16 upgrade project in partnership with the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MOTI). See MONEY on Page 2
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