North Cowichan council will presentation from the General Manager of Finance and Protective Services and the Director of Engineering tonight.
General Manager of Finance and Protective Services Mark Frame will present an overview of the five-year capital expenditure program, estimated at just under $25 million dollars.
Mayor Al Siebring said there is a lot included in the capital expenditure program.
“That includes water and wastewater systems, drainage, transportation, parks, some upgrades to our fleet, some ecological functions, and trying to inventory that in terms of the value it provides for the municipality,” said Siebring.
“This is all subject to council approval, this is staff’s idea of what’s needed,” added Siebring.
At this point, the anticipated budget increases are sitting at just north of four percent, as the municipality will have to start borrowing for the construction of the new RCMP detachment, pay for wage increases, account for inflation, and the cost of the corridor safety office.
Director of Engineering Rob Conway will provide an overview of the five-year Roads, Cycling, and Sidewalk Program and North Cowichan’s policy when it comes to upgrading roads is to include cycling infrastructure.
Siebring said there isn’t a lot of evidence that people will use cycling trails.
“Frankly, with the aging demographic in our community there’s not a lot of people who are going to do that, but it is part of the way we do things,” said Siebring.
“I note that one of the things on the list tonight is the idea of spending some money on the bicycle trail enhancement when we do the fix-up on Westholme Road, near the bottom of Bell McKinnon, said Siebring.”
Tonight’s meeting starts at 6 pm at the North Cowichan Municipal offices.
