Here are the combined highlights from the February 4 City Council meeting and the February 18 Special City Council meeting.

• City Council received a presentation on PayByPhone, a system that will allow drivers to pay for parking via an app or a website. Drivers can still use coins in the meters if they prefer. PayByPhone will be available at all metered parking spots by the end of the month. For more information, see the PayByPhone media release.
• Council adopted an updated Advisory Planning Commission Bylaw that allows more flexibility in how members can be appointed. The bylaw also clarifies that the type of development applications that would be presented to the Commission for a recommendation, prior to going to Council for a decision, includes amendments to the Official Community Plan, amendments to the Zoning Bylaw, and other requests.
• Council adopted an updated Board of Variance Bylaw that includes updated references to the Local Government Act and clarifies meeting procedures.
• Council adopted a bylaw to increase the fee for an annual seniors parking pass from $90/year to $144/year. The parking passes allow seniors to park at any meters except those on Baker Street. While downtown parking fees increased in early 2024, seniors with annual parking passes for the downtown area were exempt last year.
• Council approved increases to vendor fees for the Nelson Farmers Market in the range of $2 to $5 per market event to increase revenue and improve operations. Currently our vendor fees are lower than other markets in comparably-sized BC communities. The increase would put our fees on par with other communities.
• Each municipality and regional district received funding from the Province to engage with Indigenous Governing Bodies on emergency management. Council agreed to a proposal from the Regional District of Central Kootenay to transfer the City’s allotment of $40,000 to them to pool our funding and respond collaboratively.
• Council voted to raise the following topics at the Association of Kootenay and Boundary Local Governments, where local governments vote on items of shared interest.
  • Increased Funding and Requirement for Civics Education
  • Enhancing Rural Transit Systems
  • Rural Health Transportation
  • Ranked Voting for Mayoral Elections
  • Water Security in British Columbia
  • Addressing Repeat Offenders 
  • Regional Approach to Homelessness
  • Increasing Investment in Recreational Tourism to Support Rural Border Communities
  • Interprovincial Trade Barriers
  • Speculation Housing and Vacancy Tax in Rural Communities
  • Eliminating Income Tax on Secondary Suites and In-Home Rentals
  • Ensuring Equitable Access to Child Care Funding for Private Child Care Providers
  • Supporting Rural Contractors for Effective Home Retrofits
  • Rural Focused Immigration Policy to Support Workforce and Economic Stability
  • Provincial Core Funding for Evolving Public Libraries
  • Regional Strategy for Rehabilitation, Homelessness, and Public Safety

Residents are welcome to review the February 4 and February 18 meeting agendas or watch recordings of the meetings. 

To see previous Council Highlights, visit https://www.nelson.ca/2046/Council-Highlights.