Departments
The Town has six departments to serve the citizens of the Town. They are:
1. Finance and Administration
The Finance and Administration department is responsible for the overall management of the Town, implementing Council's policies and directives. Specific functions and responsibilities include:
- Council and Committee of Council agendas, meetings and minutes
- Bylaws
- Elections
- Staffing
- Records management
- Legal agreements and legal actions
- Leases
- Bylaw Enforcement
- Property taxation and collection
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- Utility billings and collection
- Dog licensing
- Business licensing
- Accounts receivable and payable
- Payroll, pensions and benefits administration
- Financial planning, budgeting, annual reporting and municipal investing
- Grant applications
- Grant-in-aid requests
- Emergency planning
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2. Development Services
Development Services includes both planning and building functions. This Department is responsible for ensuring that land and buildings are developed in an orderly and safe manner, taking into consideration social, environmental, economic, and physical factors.
The department is also responsible for long range community planning - working to make Golden a vibrant, healthy and pleasant community for the foreseeable future.
The Department administers the woodstove exchange program, which provides a rebate incentive up to $500 in value to replace older woodstoves with new CSA / EPA-certified units. Other areas of responsibility include:
- Administration of the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw
- Processing amendments to the Official Community Plan and Zoning Bylaw
- Processing permits related to the development of land and buildings: development permits, development variance permits, and temporary commercial and industrial use permits
- Issuing building permits
- Issuing sign permits
- Business license application evaluations for new businesses (Zoning, Building Code)
3. Leisure Services
The Town of Golden offers a number of programs through the Leisure Services Department:
- Parent and Tot
- Tumbling Kids
- Summer Fun Camps
The Town also holds parties for young children up to age 12. These are held at Hallowe'en, Christmas and at Easter.
The Town has an outdoor swimming pool that is open from late May to the Labour Day weekend at the beginning of September. Swimming lessons are offered for all ages. The Town has a partnership with one of the motels with an indoor pool in order to provide swimming lessons in the winter.
The following are just a few of the other programs offered through independently run organizations.
- Minor baseball
- Softball
- Hockey
- Curling
- Figure Skating
- Rod & Gun Club
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- Soccer
- Rafting
- Hang Gliding
- Mountain Biking
- Kayaking
- Horseshoes
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For contact information for these organizations, go to Contacts, Leisure Services.
The Town operates an arena jointly with the Columbia Shuswap Regional District. Golden is proud to be home to the Golden Junior Rockets, a Junior "B" hockey team which plays in the Kootenay International Junior Hockey League (KIJHL). The local curling rink is operated by the Golden Curling Club.
Leisure Services is also responsible for coordinating the volunteer recognition event for the Town's many volunteers.
4. Operations
The Operations Department provides a full complement of municipal services, including road and sidewalk construction and maintenance, water, sewer, storm sewer (in part of the Town). The Town encourages its citizens to adopt water conservation measures to make the best use of the Town's infrastructure. Click here to see a presentation by Columbia Basin Trust on water conservation.
The Town contracts curbside solid waste collection (excluding recycling) services for residences only. This contract is currently held by VP Waste Solutions Ltd. Owned and operated by Jordan Peterson and Parker Vaile. They can be contacted by phone at 439-9679 or 439-9479. Commercial, Industrial and Institutions within the town are responsible for their own collection and disposal. The Columbia Shuswap Regional District under their Solid Waste Plan is responsible for the overall solid waste management function in the area including the operation of the sanitary landfill and recycling. For Landfill operating hours please contact the CSRD at 1-888-248-2773 or use the above link.
The Operations Department is also responsible for maintaining the many buildings and facilities owned by the Town or Regional District, including the arena, outdoor swimming pool, municipal campground, Golden Cemetery, Golden Municipal Airport, Town works yard and Town office.
Parks and gardens are maintained by Operations. The Town is proud of its affiliation with Communities in Bloom. Although the Town has not participated in the last 2 years, Communities in Bloom has noted the Town's continuing appearance improvements in past years.
The Town-owned municipal airport operates during daylight hours. For flight information contact the Kamloops Flight Centre at 1-866-541-4101. The Town leases land and buildings to several fixed wing and helicopter operations. East Kootney Fuel Sales Ltd. provides automated fueling services and can be contacted at 1-250-344-2534. Environment Canada also maintains a presence at the airport to gather weather data.
5.Golden Fire Rescue
Golden Fire Rescue Services provides a wide array of fire protection, including fire fighting and suppression, rescue, pre-fire planning, response to hazardous materials spills, fire investigation, public information and training, all through a volunteer / paid on call fire department, with a paid full time Fire Chief. Do you want to be a volunteer fire fighter? Contact the Fire Chief at 1-250-344-6401 or visit the Fire Hall at 1107 - 11th Avenue South.
6. Economic Development
Golden Area Initiatives - GAI (www.kickinghorsecountry.com) is the community economic development arm of both the Town of Golden and Electoral Area A of the Columbia Shuswap Regional District. Incorporated as a Society and funded through government and the private sector, the mandate of Golden Area Initiatives is to develop, foster and support community economic development in Golden and the surrounding area.
Golden Area Initiatives is physically located at the new British Columbia Visitor Centre @ Golden - a certified LEED building (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design,) showcasing innovative and high quality design and building materials to reduce operating costs and impacts on the environment. Opened in spring, 2006, the Centre is anticipated to see 150,000 tourists per year and provides a full range of visitor services for pass-by and destination travelers. An expected result of this presence in the community is an increase in visitor stay (duration), the number of visitors circulating through the community and more awareness of tourism product and services within the area (referred visitations).
The new brand identity (adopted by the Town and GAI as "Kicking Horse Country" ), continues to be implemented. Variations on the new logo have been developed by Golden Fire Rescue and the Golden Golf Club. The new brand is being marketed broadly and will help ensure consistency, greater consumer awareness and usefulness in promoting a brand identity for the area with diverse applications.
In 2007, GAI will continue to work with local promotional agencies, such as the Chamber of Commerce, Tourism Golden and key private sector partners, to coordinate effective marketing of the area for amenity migrants, business re-locators and visitors. For assistance in learning more about the business climate in Golden and area, and, pathfinding through regulatory / approvals processes, the GAI is pleased to share its resources and insights. In addition to compiling data relevant to the economic health of the area, the GAI Office publishes an annual Community Report Card, Community Profile and related business decision making data. Please visit www.kickinghorsecountry.com for more information on community economic development and GAI staff contacts. For information on tourism products and visitor opportunities, please go to www.tourismgolden.com
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