The Sicamous housing committee is opening its home to the public and seeking two new members to join the team.
At the May 28 council meeting, communications coordinator Campton Hancock provided a report on the recommended additions to ensure the committee can make quorum after it failed to do so earlier this year.
Hancock said the first committee meeting of the year was scheduled for April 4, but quorum was not achieved so the meeting was rescheduled for April 17 "when quorum was, again, not achieved" and the meeting was unable to proceed. The committee is currently made up of two councillors and two members of the public with staff suggesting another two volunteers be added.
“Makes senses to me," Coun. Bob Evans said. "More volunteers so we can get the job done.”
While supportive as well, Coun. Ian Baillie did have a question regarding the resulting imbalance of council and public.
“My only question would be, I thought historically we set up these committees to have 50 per cent councillors, 50 per cent community members for a reason, but I don’t know what that is.”
Chief administrative officer Dean Strachan said that while most municipalities do try to balance the ‘political with the community,” that doesn’t always work out.
“The intent here is not to have more people from the community to participate, just to have enough for that to function so they can proceed and do their agendas.”
Mayor Colleen Anderson agreed, saying that in the past they have a couple of councillors on "and then we build the rest of the committee” from there.
The motion to amend the committee's terms of reference to allow for two more members passed unanimously, with staff directed to issue a call for volunteers to submit their resumes for consideration. The successful applicants will be appointed by the mayor for a two-year term, with the next of the committee's bi-annual meetings scheduled for Oct. 2.
