News from Mayne Island Improvement District

Mayne Island Improvement District

December News

Fire Department: In September the Trustees received the consultant’s report in regard to the Mayne Island Fire Service. The Trustees, firefighters and landowners have had an opportunity to review the report and the Trustees have taken steps to implement its recommendations. At the October 15 Town Hall meeting, Trustee Bob McKinnon explained the steps the Board will be taking in regard to the report and planning a strategy to move forward.

1. First we need to develop a written policy to define the services that we want our Fire Service to provide. This must be the service the community wants and needs

2. Training levels then need to be defined to meet those services.

3. Job Descriptions need to be redefined for Chief and Deputy Chief to fulfill the service levels and the Training levels required.

Further to the reports recommendations and feedback at the Town Hall meeting, on October 21 the Trustees passed a motion that set up a series of goals and expanding the building committee in an effort to show it’s resolve to energize the process and get the building construction underway as soon as practically possible.

Key goal dates that were set at that meeting:

• December 31, 2011 – presentation of a building site footprint, floor plan and preliminary budget to the Trustees.

•  February 2012 – In consultation with the community a taxation model will be declared and final plans and budget will be put forward.

•  May 2012 – Referendum.

•  August 2012 – Based on an approved referendum, construction would begin.

Please note:  Copies of the Report are on the website at www.miidonline.com (Reports page) or at the Library. A printed copy may be purchased at the Improvement District office at the Fire Hall for $10.00 (to offset printing costs).

Office hours: The MIID office (Located upstairs at the back of the firehall) now has scheduled office hours of 9am – 3pm Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Outside of those hours appointments can be made by calling 250-539-5116. The Office of the Fire Department will be open from 9:00am to 3:00pm Monday to Saturday, this is a change from the previously advertised hours. In addition the office will be closed December 24, 25, 26 and 31 as well as January 1.

Tax Sale: We are pleased to announce that the last properties that were in arrears for 2009 have now paid and the tax sale has been cancelled. A reminder to those still in arrears for 2010 and 2011 that additional interest penalties occur as of January 01 and your prompt payment prior to this date would both be appreciated and save you some additional dollars.

Mayne Island Lions: We would like to express our sincere thanks to the Lions for their recent project to undertake expansion of the storage facilities at the Health Centre. This valued addition to the community is very much appreciated and was made possible by the coordination and countless donated hours of the Lions. 

Administrator: The Trustee are pleased to report on October 14 the formal appointment of Gerrie Wise as our new Administrator / Secretary.

Merry Christmas: As the year draws to a close, we would like to wish all islanders and their families a happy and peaceful holiday season.

Board of Trustees

Mayne Island Improvement District

November News

Mayne Island Improvement District

October News

 Fire Department Review: In mid September the Trustees received the consultants report that encompassed a review of our Fire Department, governance and fire hall replacement. This comprehensive report is now being reviewed. The report is available on our website www.miidonline.com and at the Library. Hard copies can be purchased at a cost of $10.00 through the Improvement District office.

Town Hall Meeting: We have scheduled a town hall meeting at the Ag Hall for October 15 from 1 – 3pm. The consultant who prepared the Fire Department Audit Report will be in attendance to answer questions at that time. As well we will have an update on plans to replace the fire hall and will be having a discussion about possibly changing the Health Centre taxation from an Assessment based tax to a Parcel Tax. The Trustees will also be taking general questions at the end of the meeting.

Burn Permits: Please note we have changed the procedure for purchasing outdoor burning permits this year. In order to reduce costs and insure we have proper updated information on file, the permits now can be purchased at the fire hall from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm daily. This will be the only outlet for outdoor burning permits for the 2011 - 2012 season. Permits remain at a cost of $5.00, we are not set up for credit card / debit payments.

What were all those sirens about? On our Mayne Island Fire website http://www.mayneislandfire.com  there is a link to call out details that provides you with information as to the callouts – it generally is updated within 24 hours of an incident.

Bookkeeper: The Trustees are pleased to report that Katherine Somerville was formally appointed to the position of Bookkeeper at the September 16 meeting.

Board of Trustees

Mayne Island Improvement District

September News

August is the month Trustees spend many hours in weekly meetings developing the following years budgets. 2011 has been no exception. At this point the budgets are slated to be approved at the September meeting of the Trustees and will be posted shortly afterwards on our website.

The new roof has been installed on the Health Centre, our thanks to Per and his crew for a prompt, efficient and professional job well done.

A reminder that there are still 9 outstanding tax accounts from 2009 that will be going to tax sale. Since the billing went out in June several of you provided feedback and suggestions, all of which is helpful and forms part of discussions as we review the taxation over the winter months. We are looking into electronic payment options, however the Province will not add this taxation to the Rural taxation (Annual property taxes) as it is not allowed by legislation. We will continue to explore opportunities to change the legislation, but at this time it is not an option and we must do our own billing.

The review of the fire department is coming to an end, the consultant will have the final report to the Trustees in September and it should be posted to our website later in the month. This report will provide guidance as to future planning within the fire department and provide direction as to firehall replacement.

We are working towards planning another town hall session in October, we will be posting details on the October Mayneliner and on the website.

Board of Trustees
Mayne Island Improvement District

Mayne Island Improvement District

August Newsletter

The review of the fire department is underway, the consultant’s report is expected be posted on the MIID website after the September Trustees meeting. The terms of reference are posted on the website for those who are interested learning more about the scope of this audit.

The consultant will also be reviewing the initial conceptual outlines for fire hall replacement. The firefighters association has gone over two options and put forward a series of recommendations for consideration. After review by the consultant, these recommendations will form the basis for the next step in developing a new proposal. To date there have been many years and many dollars spent on prior designs, it is important to utilize the knowledge gained by these past efforts to insure an effective and efficient proposal is prepared that will meets the needs and expectations of all stakeholders.

There has been an ongoing effort to post information on the website (www.miidonline.com), all prior freedom of information requests are now found in the FAQ section. Next month we will have the draft budgets posted as soon as they are approved.

We have received much feedback from the Health Centre billing that went out in June. Many comments and criticisms have come in, but thankfully most have been in a positive tone; all of which goes to the Trustees and helps guide our policies and decisions for the coming year. Many of you have followed up on the question of changing the taxation model to a parcel tax; we will be having a town hall meeting on this issue in the coming months. In the meantime we do appreciate comments, which can easily be put to the Trustees through the ‘contact’ link on the website.

On June 30 we received a letter of resignation from our Administrator, which has resulted in the Trustees having to undertake some additional duties during the transition period. We would like to thank the Administrator for her many years of service and wish her best in her future endeavours.

At a special meeting on July 08 the Trustees made a 60 day interim appointment to the bookkeeping position that was advertised in the July Mayneliner. As the job competition did not close until July 15 and our current Administrator / Bookkeepers last day was July 14 we were in a position of having to appoint a bookkeeper to insure a proper transfer of information and skills. Over the coming month all applications for the bookkeeper’s position will be reviewed and a final decision will be made as to the permanent position. At the same time an interim administrator was appointed until the permanent candidate is selected.

In this month’s Mayneliner you will find an advertisement for the Administrators position. This is a part time employment opportunity that would suit an individual with an interest in local government. It would be appropriate for interested candidates to have a background that included administrative and management functions.

A reminder that letting us know in advance if you are planning on attending our monthly meetings is appreciated. We have limited seating and if many have let us know in advance that they will be attending we may need to move venues for your comfort and safety.

Additionally if materials are being handed out at the meetings it gives us a guideline as to how many copies to print. Advance notice is not mandatory, but certainly helps with the planning.

Board of Trustees

Mayne Island Improvement District

Mayne Island Improvement District News      

On July 15, 2011 in her final report to the MIID Board, outgoing Administrator Moira McCulloch suggested that due to the mail strike, the Board of Trustees consider deferring the 2011 Health Centre & Heliport Tax due date (and penalty date) from July 31, 2011 to August 31, 2011. The Board voted unanimously that if there is the legal capability to do so, to move the penalty date to Aug 31^st for the 2011 Tax.

After consulting the Ministry, on July 22, 2011 the MIID Board of Trustees held a Special Meeting to read, reconsider and pass Bylaw 114 to change the due date of the 2011 Health Centre & Heliport taxes to August 31, 2011.

This means that all 2011 tax payments which reach MIID offices by August 31 will not incurr penalty charges of 15%.  

If you have paid your 2011 Health Centre & Heliport taxes already, we thank you for your prompt payment despite the mail strike.  If you have not yet paid your taxes, please pay as soon as possible. Your prompt payment will mean budgeted renovations to the Health Centre will continue without delay, and will save the District undue office labour costs for late notices, reminders, etc.

The Board has made note of several requests to make payment through your Financial Institutions and is making arrangements through the Improvment District’s Bank to have this feature in place in the coming year.  In response to several requests for a mail “drop-box”, a lockable box will be installed near the MIID offices at the Mayne island Fire Hall on Felix Jack Road.  Thank you for your suggestions to help us serve you better.

Mayne Island Improvement District News      

Since the AGM in April, the Trustees have put many long hours into reviewing the organization and its policies and have made significant strides towards a bright, progressive and positive future with the Improvement District.

The restructured committee process has more equitably spread the workload amongst the Trustees and brought the considerable skill set and background of the Trustees into effective use. Some highlights of recent activities include:

·     Fire Department Operational Review: The board has engaged an outside consultant to review the overall operations and governance of the fire department and make recommendations as to future requirements in the coming years. The terms of reference for the consultant are posted on the MIID website.

·     Organizational Review: To insure our resources are being utilized in the most efficient manner the board is in the process of reviewing our administrative and accounting structure as well as IT services. The first step in this initiative will be hiring a part-time bookkeeper to streamline the accounting process and ease the work pressure on the administrator. This position will be funded within the existing budget and will not result in a taxation increase in 2012.

·     Appointment of Auditor: Following the instructions given at the AGM, the board went through a selection process and recently appointed Terry Miller, CGA as auditor. Terry is a weekender from Vancouver and his ability to work with us on island should significantly improve the audit process.

·     Health Centre Roof: The board has let a contract to an island contractor for the overdue replacement of the Health Centre roof. This work will be undertaken over the summer. Other minor upgrades and improvements are also underway.

·     Buy Local Policy: The board has reaffirmed its commitment to spend your tax dollars locally whenever possible. We recognize the impact every dollar has on the community and have instructed staff to make a best effort to purchase on island where practical to support the local economy.

·     Open Governance: Draft board minutes are now posted to the MIID (www.miidonline.com) website as soon as they are available, in future budgets and financial statements will be posted on the website as soon as they are approved. We will make every effort to make other information requested available in a timely manner but do ask that those seeking information not overwhelm us with requests as it does take time (and money) to research and get the information to you. We now are also posting Freedom of Information requests on the website when they are completed to insure that all taxpayers have access to information as the requests are made.

·     Town Hall Meetings: Our first town hall was held in May. These informal meetings allow the Trustees to inform and consult with the community on a variety of issues. We anticipate the next town hall meeting will be in August or September.

·     Budget Reviews: The 2012 budgeting process begins in July, with Trustee approval in September. This year the budgets will be scrutinized for any possible efficiency. This however must be done in the context that every year costs do seem to increase and we continue to take on additional responsibilities as senior governments download to local government. As well regulatory requirements increase every year, requiring extra inspections and equipment to keep our fire department fully operational and safe. Budgeting is complex and cost savings sometimes difficult to find. However Trustees will be putting in many hours on budget review with the results made available to the community after the budgets are approved in September.

·     Fire Hall Replacement: The first steps are being taken to investigate new ideas and develop a new proposal. At this time the focus is on re-purposing the existing firehall and construction of a new building to house the equipment and apparatus. We are still in the early days and much consultation is required prior to an initial proposal being put forward to the community.

·     Taxation Model Review: The billing and collection of the Health Centre and Heliport tax continues to be cumbersome and costly. The Trustees will be reviewing the merits of a parcel tax and consulting with the community after the 2012 budget is set in the fall. There are merits both to an assessment and a parcel based tax. However the calculating, billing and accounting process is much simpler under a parcel tax. Simpler means lower costs and that naturally results in less taxation.

Property owners now will be in receipt of your Health Centre and Heliport tax bill. Please be prompt with your payment. We have 10 properties still outstanding for 2009 – these properties will be going to the tax sale process on July 31 with all the additional costs being added at this time. A reminder that it cost an average of over $1,000.00 last year in associated costs per property to go through the tax sale process. As per Provincial Legislation these costs will be billed to each property still in arrears for the 2009 tax year on July 31 without exception. Taxpayers as a whole cannot be expected to bear the collection costs of those few who do not fulfill their responsibilities to the community. If you have any questions or need clarification as to the status of your taxation arrears please contact the Administrator at (250) 539-5116 or email to miid@shaw.ca and we will let you know your current standing.

Please note that the website address listed on the Tax Notice was incorrect, it is www.miidonline.com .

Both the Health Centre and Heliport are valuable community assets that must be properly maintained. The relatively small costs associated with the tax provides our doctor, VIHA and the Ministry of Health the facilities needed to provide first class service to all residents on island.

Board of Trustees

Mayne Island Improvement District