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Sun Peaks Mountain Resort Municipality held a regular council meeting July 21. Below are the highlights of that meeting.
Temporary use permit renewal for Sundance Drive
Council approved Temporary Use Permit No. TUP-2023-004, which came forward for renewal for three years, subject to all conditions. It was noted the unit has adequate snow storage, landscaping and parking, and is in compliance with Short-term Rental Policy No.15.
Municipal online service request platform demonstration
Staff brought forward a new online service request platform to assist residents and guests who need to report non-emergency issues and submit service requests associated with municipal services and infrastructure. The service costs around $10,000 per year and was included in the approved 2026 budget.
“Often, residents and guests are unsure of who to contact for their concerns and this can result in confusion and delays in addressing those concerns,” the report to council stated. “The online platform will ensure that requests from the public are routed to the appropriate department for follow up.”
The platform is expected to go live by the end of the month, according to director of operations Clint Burton.
Surface Water Pipeline Project update
Burton updated council on the status of the Surface Water Pipeline Project, which is now operational and is providing water to the Platter Treatment Plant. Work to finish the micro-hydro turbine and final site grading is expected to be completed later this year.
The project is currently on budget, but forestry and site remediation work is still needed, which was not included in the original expected final project cost of $8.3 million.
Development Cost Charges bylaw update
Burton presented more information regarding the Development Cost Charges bylaw update.
Development Cost Charges are paid to the municipality by land developers to support infrastructure expenditures necessary to service the growth. This capital is earmarked to increase reserves for infrastructure before it’s needed.
There is $2.8 million currently in the municipality’s Development Cost Charges reserves, $1.75 million of which will pay loans for the Surface Water Reservoir and the PZ4 Reservoir over the next five years.
The Development Cost Charges reserves are “likely to be depleted within the next few years, due to the above loan payments, and the current budget which is funding early feasibility and design work to advance key infrastructure projects to a stage where grant applications can be completed,” according to the report to council.
“The low reserves risk necessitating the use of tax dollars and/or utility rates to service debt for growth projects built to serve new developments,” Burton wrote to SPIN via email following the June 9 meeting.
The municipality currently collects Development Cost Charges when building permits are issued. The bylaw’s second reading proposed collecting charges earlier in the development cycle.
If this change had been implemented previously, the Development Cost Charges reserves would have an additional $1.276M of funding available, plus $180,000 in interest earned, according to the report.
Staff will seek public feedback on this bylaw update.
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