Submission to Council 2007

September 14, 2007

 

Dear members of the Council:

As a result of membership meetings, committee meetings and input from our members at large, the Association of the Friends/Amis du Lac presents our areas of greatest concern for Sixteen Island Lake for 2008 and the succeeding years. We now represent 102 paid memberships which includes 188 people.

Municipal

• Vote by mail*
• Taxes
• Budget procedures
• Municipal web site

Environment

Protect 16 Island lake water quality.*

Ensure the restoration and protection of the littoral zone*.

Develop an environmental watershed plan.*

Develop a plan to stop the destruction of the eco-system.*

Infrastructure/Boating

Enforcement of boat launching regulations.

Revise bylaws on permissible boat size and number of boats.*

Stop the annual permit for boat access to the lake.

No commercial tour boats

Infrastructure/
Roads and Lakes

Continue improvements to parking lot area.*

Do not acquire private roads

Numbering of residences

Land
Use

Long term planning and increase lot size.*

Regulations concerning wharfs on commercial property.

Prohibit private roads closer than 15 meters to the lake.

Post notice of requests for “derogation” on municipal billboards and on
web site.

Make the granting of a “derogation” a very rare exception.

 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Chris Campbell             President                     Jacques and Suzanne Causse

Claude Lorange                  Vice President             Geoff Cresswell

Pieter Folmer                    Treasurer                     Doug and Penny Love

Mary Tessier Campbell       Secretary                     Meghan
Masterson

Ted
Fairhurst

Philippe
Ventura

David
Logan

* Participation and assistance by volunteers

MUNICIPAL TAXES and BUDGETS

The population of the municipality of 16 Island Lake in 2006 was 160
people. 76.4% (269) of the dwellings are seasonal and 23.6% (83) are year
round. The population has decreased and yet the municipal budget continues to
increase. The needs of the citizens for services are not extensive.
Friends/Amis has been informed repeatedly that taxes are a major concern and
recommend the following. ***

 

Vote
by Mail

Our top priority: Reestablish
Vote by Mail

Taxes

Make obtaining government project grants a priority.*

Fund major expenditures through assessments rather than taxes.

Do not use taxes to fund expenditures benefiting individuals or small
segments of the municipality such as: acquiring private roads, communal septic
systems.

 

 

Budget
Procedure

Review major expenditures with a written cost/benefit analysis:
Cost?  Benefits to taxpayers?  Is it necessary? Is there a less expensive
way to do it?

Avoid paying for services based on evaluations. There is not a
cost/benefit relationship.

In problem areas (such as garbage) ask for help from citizens who may
be knowledgeable.

Communicate with
citizens. *

Get tough on
garbage costs.

Have all budgets and monthly statements available to all taxpayers
online.

Work within a culture of frugality. Do not be rushed. How can we
achieve the same thing for less or no money?

 

 

Municipal
Web Site

A municipal web site is very important to all residents. It should be a
top priority.

Notify citizens of important information in the community (water
quality)

Notices on bylaw changes in French and
English

Dates and agendas of meetings

Minutes of meetings

Budgets and annual reports

Notice of request for derogations

Publish three year plans

Garbage instructions and schedules

Notice of social events

 

*Work with the Lake association volunteers

***Canada Census, 2006 (attached)

Friends/Amis
Environment Initiatives 2007/2008

 

 

PROTECT
16 ISLAND LAKE WATER QUALITY

Ban all fertilizers and detergents containing phosphates.

Educate
residents. *

Complete the inspection of septic systems and publish report.

Deal with violators
immediately.

Lock residences
that do not comply.

Implement a system to record and enforce the pumping of septic systems. Arrange for the pumping of
violators’ tanks and charge a penalty fee.

Continue the excellent environmental baseline study of the water
quality of the lake with annual monitoring of phosphorous and water clarity. Publish
the data.

 

 

ENSURE
THE RESTORATON AND PROTECTION OF THE LITTORAL ZONE

Insist on proper plantings in the first ten meters of the shoreline.

Require plantings in/on stone and concrete walls and shore lines.

Stop cutting grass, especially municipal grass.

Plant shade trees
where possible.

Continue to educate property owners on good landscaping practices
through seminars, distribution of proper documentation and native plants. *

Ensure that local contractors adhere to proper landscaping
principles.

 

 

DEVELOP
AN ENVIRONMENTAL WATERSHED PLAN

Develop a zero run off plan.

No uninterrupted
runoff from roads and parking areas.

Discourage the paving of parking lots.

Shade rock or concrete walls with plants.

Plant shade
trees.

Reduce the number and size of boats allowed on the lake.

Designate the municipality as an eco-zone with regulations.

 

 

DEVELOP
A PLAN TO STOP THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ECOSYSTEM

Develop a fast response to environmental problems or potential
problems.

Stop destruction of the lakeshore, the lake bottom, stream beds and the
forests.

Educate the public on the preservation of the ecosystem. *

Create wildlife sanctuaries on the lakes where boats are prohibited.

 

 

 

 

*Work with the Lake association volunteers

 

 

 

INFRASTRUCTURE

Boating

 

Enforcement is critical to the success of the boat program.

Make regulations
(bylaws), notify, prosecute offenders.

Staff the water front 14
hours per day during the high weeks of the summer. Shut down the launching of
boats from private property.

Keep records.

Limit the number of off-lake boats to two or three a day.

Require that all boats entering the lake are washed by the
municipality.

Pay high fees
($300) for washing.

Improve the
washing program.

Eliminate the season pass for boats.

Stop multi-boat (and
airplanes) parking along the shore. These boats and planes do not belong to
residents. **

Reduce the size, number, and power of boats using the lake.* (Refer to
environmental)

Do not permit commercial tour boats on the lake.

 

Roads
and Lake

 

Continue improvements to the parking lot layout.

Install one
row of timbers with water run off collectors (zero run off).

Plant indigenous
trees and plants in the row. *

Do not acquire any private roads. They are costly to maintain and it
sets a dangerous precedent.

Arrange for citizens to purchase standard house and cottage
numbers from the municipality and supply instructions on where to install them.

For those who do not or
cannot comply, the municipality will arrange for the summer student to install
the numbers and the home owner will be billed.

Bid the installation of the
street sign posts.

 

 

 

*Work with the Lake
association volunteers.

** Photos

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

LAND USE

 

 

 

 

Conduct a zoning and subdivision review
with the CCU and volunteers from the land use committee of Friends/Amis. *

 

Plan the growth of the municipality. The
lake is stressed and continued unregulated growth in the village and on the
lake may irreparably damage the lake.

 

Substantially increase minimum lot sizes on
the lake, in the village, and in Laurel, especially the waterfront.
Recommendations to follow.*

 

Ensure that the regulations governing
wharfs are the same on commercial property as on residential property.

 

Prohibit private roads closer than 15
meters to the lake as compared to the current 5 meters.

 

Post notice of requests for “derogation” on
the municipal web site and post the recommendations of the CCU as soon as they
become available.

 

Make the granting of a “derogation” a very
rare exception.

 

 

Land Use Planning Committee

September, 2007

 

 

 

*Work with the Lake association volunteers