CITY COUNCIL – Answers to the question, ‘What work is getting done’?
(Image: Mel Rothenburger)
By KELLY HALL
Kamloops City Councillor
MUNICIPAL COUNCILS are empowered to address the existing and future needs of a community by making collective decisions that are recorded in bylaws and resolutions.
Coun. Kelly Hall.
City of Kamloops municipal advisor Henry Braun’s report highlighted not only opportunities, it also identified an engaged, hard-working City council. Lost in the weekly drama reported regularly by news outlets in Kamloops and throughout B.C., is the work that is getting done.
A common question asked of council is “what city work is getting done?” I want to highlight the work being done by the current Kamloops city council.
Our strategic plan identifies the pillars and pathways on which our council is moving. Our select committees parallel the pillars within our 2023-2026 Strategic Plan. Here is a glimpse of some of the important work being done by council. The residents of Kamloops need to know work is getting done—daily, weekly and monthly.
Economic Health Select Committee
• Implement an electronic application program for building permits
• Implement an electronic application for business licenses
• Work with Kamloops Airport Authority Society and Kamloops Airport on developing airport lands
• Establish the Kamloops Land Trust Foundation
• Complete a review and update of the Development Cost Charges (DCC) bylaw
• Complete a Thompson River crossing study to identify future road network needs in order to support community transportation
• Finalize and open an employee daycare with a private operator
Governance and Service Excellence Select Committee
• Conduct a gap analysis to determine which city assets do not have asset management plans
• Evaluate the current online engagement platform against new and best practices
• Include members of the public on working groups for the Build Kamloops project
• Review the operating structure of the Community Services Officer (CSO) program and identify gaps
• Implement city council town halls
Liveability and Sustainability Select Committee
• Undertake ongoing review of Recreation Master Plan to include sports and facilities not in the Build Kamloops project
• Implement bus shelter program to increase bus shelter coverage throughout the city
• Advocate to BC Transit for increased services and routes
• Update Active Transportation Master Plan and seek funding for support implementation
Safety and Security Select Committee
• Increase RCMP numbers
• Increase CSO joint patrols and community outreach to 24/7 operation
• Increase public communication of Safe and Secure Kamloops Meetings and indicatives
• Advocate to the province for peace officer status, community courts revision to open drug bylaw
• Increase complex care beds within the community
• Work with BC Housing and IH to improve access to treatment facilities and supportive recovery housing for unhoused individuals struggling with substance use disorder
Advocacy
• Continue to press provincial and federal governments for funding community needs
• Send letters to ministers advocating for housing funds both provincially and federally to assist Kamloops in building the infrastructure needed to hit provincially-mandated housing numbers
This work, along with so much more, is being done by your elected council working with staff, provincial and federal leaders, positioning Kamloops for economic growth.
While it is true we have a “dysfunctional” mayor — as reported in the Braun municipal report — who likes to climb around the river banks and tell you about it, please know our city also has a council that provides the needed leadership, allowing for the stewarding important community issues, positioning the city for growth, vitality and resilience.
We will continue to work hard to accomplish so much more of our strategic plan. This council is dynamic and bold with all the decisions we make.
Kelly Hall is a Kamloops City councillor elected in 2022. This column was published today by Castanet.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
There are supposed to be answers to the question, ‘What work is getting done’? according to the headline. I don’t see any answers here.
Perhaps Mr. Hall could provide information that measures the progress on each item on the strategic list provided in his article.
For example, in the item “Increase RCMP numbers,” could he please provide the number of RCMP officers at the point in time when Council identified this as a strategic priority, and how many officers there are presently. If there has been no increase, can he explain the progress towards this outcome that has been identified as a necessary action.
If such information cannot be provided, then what is going on? It seems to me that providing a list without showing each measurable to track progress is basically equal to shovelling smoke.
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How can our council be this out of touch?
-And the tasteless comment about the mayor who likes to climb river banks? Seems the Hateful 8 are so used to bad talking the Mayor amongst themselves; that they don’t even recognize that it’s bullying.
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Wow. This letter from Kelly Hall did absolutely nothing positive – in fact, further proved his arrogance and that of the 8 councillors as well. I wonder what Mr. Braun would think about this type of comment after he praised them all?
The previous commentor was exactly on the ball – they all have NO idea how unpopular they really are, that the citizens are not idiots and see thru their selfish actions.
The dig against the Mayor also proves he has zero respect for their own Code of Conduct they voted on and are to abide by (Did Kelly break any?):
A reminder to Mr. Hall and ALL council:
The principles for council codes of conduct noted in the Summary section of this report and
prescribed by BC Regulation 136/2022 are as follows:
(a) council members must carry out their duties with integrity;
(b) council members are accountable for the decisions that they make, and the
actions that they take, in the course of their duties;
(c) council members must be respectful of others;
(d) council members must demonstrate leadership and collaboration.
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Mr Kelly simply doesn’t get the point. He has wasted this term on chastising the mayor instead of moving on. Trying now is simply to late. His actions have shown his lack of integrity and he should resign and let someone else do what he was elected to do.
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To Kelly Hall and council- people who get things done don’t have to write a book trying to tell people how much they’ve done. People who get things done don’t have the time to write a book – they’re too busy getting things done. When you get things done, you don’t have to try and convince people you get things done.
This reads like a child’s grandiose chore list that is trying to demonstrate they’ve earned their allowance. Did I see “put on my pants this morning” as one of the items?
This council is insufferable. And how childish can you be to take shots with this PR stunt. Braun himself would have taken you to task if he was aware of your immaturity. But you all hid it at least long enough until he left.
This is what it looks like when you let your child write their own report card.
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Thank you Councillor Hall for informing the great unwashed populace of Kamloops that our Mayor “likes to climb around the river banks and tell you about it”. Continuing on, you inform the great unwashed populace that we have a council that provides the needed leadership ……
Are you totally unaware of how unpopular you are? Are you totally unaware of how conceited, self-centred, and self-serving you are?
You have now been informed.
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Just couldn’t help but to take a dig at the Mayor. Zero accountability on the chaos created and continued on by council members.
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Sorry, I see a whole lot of conducting, analyzing, sending letters, evaluating, advocating, increasing, etc, but not a lot of actual work being done and while i agree about the Mayor, I have no idea why you felt the need to include that in an article entitled “What work is being done” Seems to me that is part of the far less than dynamic council’s problem .
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Do people really fall for this? It’s exactly as you say – a list of goals and targets, NOT what you’ve done. How about you tell us exactly what you’ve accomplished/completed from this list?
Even the tense used in the list e.g. “send letters” is clearly showing this is a to-do list. If you had done it, you would have written “sent letters”…
🤡
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When Mr. Hall says “increase,” “implement,” “undertake” etc. is this just a reiteration of strategic goals? What’s actually been done? Also wondering if council has a plan to recoup the $7million that’s been spent on buying and demolishing the Northbridge Hotel.
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In a city that is more congested, more chaotic, noisier, more dangerous, more unattractive, less accountable and costly to live in “things” are getting done…a parallel reality must be actually the case.
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