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Friday, April 17, 2015
Deadlock: council can’t pass budget ANDREA RONDEAU CITIZEN
Insp. Ray Carfantan, the detachment commander, was on the scene and said there was no truth to the threat, but would not call it a hoax.
With one councillor absent, North Cowichan council deadlocked and were unable to pass their budget Wednesday afternoon. On April 7 staff presented council with three options to distribute the property tax requisition among the nine property classes in the municipality. Staff’s recommendation was to increase taxes proportionally by 3.22 per cent to all nine classes to cover the overall 3.22 per cent tax increase. This would cost the average home assessed at $312,000 an additional $55.22, which would be offset by a garbage fee reduction of $20, reducing the tax hike to $35.22. Councillors, however, chose at that time an alternative option that shifted more of the tax increase onto business, recreational, and farming classes with residential taxes taking a slightly smaller hit at 2.98 per cent. This would save the average home $3.33. This previous decision came u n d e r f i r e a t We d n e s d ay ’s meeting.
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More than 16 officers from the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP descended on Drinkwater Elementary School on Lane Road after a threat was called in to the school. Although it turned out to be false, police and other community resources were expended while it was investigated. [KEVIN ROTHBAUER/CITIZEN]
RCMP swarm school after threat KEVIN ROTHBAUER CITIZEN
Police say there was no danger to staff or students after a threat was called in to Drinkwater Elementary School on Wednesday, but will continue trying to track
down who made the false report. More than 16 officers from the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP converged on the Lane Road school just before 2 p.m., and bystanders reported they had guns drawn as they entered.
Students were dismissed at 12:10 p.m., and were no longer in the school when the threat was reported. The playground was cleared by neighbours as soon as police arrived at the scene.
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