KIPLING — Moving a building into Kipling will now require the approval of a building inspector as council voted on an addition to the current policy.
“After the last building move, it became apparent that there was a need to update the movability policy and align it with our building inspector requirements,” Mayor Pat Jackson told council.
Some homes moved into town have not met building criteria and council approved adding the requirement of passing a pre-move inspection.
In other building news, council also approved town staff to proceed with a six-month notice for two tax title properties.
Town buys back cemetery plot
A resident notified town staff that the plot they had purchased in the Kipling Cemetery is no longer required, and wondered if the Town of Kipling would buy it back.
“Sometimes in the past, the town has bought the plot back,” Mayor Jackson told council, adding that they do take a while to re-sell.
A motion to buy the plot was made, with the town purchasing the plot for $125 from the resident.
Council increases remuneration
Kipling Town Council amended their remuneration policy, something that has stayed the same since 2014.
“There was no change needed in 2020, largely because there was the feeling that we had no way of knowing what was going to happen with Covid, whether people were going to be paying their taxes or not and things like that,” said Mayor Jackson.
Base annual salaries will remain the same, set at $2,400 for the mayor and $1,200 for councillors.
There will be a slight increase for committee meetings, seeing councillors paid $75 (up from $50). Regular and special council meetings are increasing to $150 per meeting (from $100), and the full-day per diem is set at $150 (a $25 increase) as well. Public meeting appointees will receive $60 (up from $50) for attendance, and fuel costs noted an increase to follow inflation to 60 (increased from 45) cents per km.
Meals were also unchanged at $12 for breakfast, $15 for lunch, and $25 for supper.
The changes are retroactive to Jan. 1, 2024.
Budgets/Deficits approved
Several joint council budgets came before council for approval. Motions were made to accept the budgets of the Library Board ($5,807); Kipling Fire Department ($33,000); and EMO ($5,000). The Handivan program recorded a rare deficit of $49.84, which council also accepted.
