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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMaple Ridge This Month - 01 January Mid Month Issue.pdf @yourmapleridge @yourmapleridge 11995 Haney Place, Maple Ridge BC V2X 6A9 mapleridge.ca Maple RidgeMaple Ridge This MonthThis Month If you have a question about any of the content in this ad, or questions about any programs or services offered by the City of Maple Ridge, please email enquiries@mapleridge.ca and one of our team members will respond to you. INFORMED: January 2016 INFORMED: Property Assessment Notices What Do You Do Now? ENGAGED: 2016 Council Meeting Calendar Council Has Over 80 Public Meetings Scheduled in ’16 AD: 7401394 City Maple Ridge MRTM 20160115 RUN DATE: FRI., JAN. 15 SIZE: 7x14 PUBLICATIONS: Maple Ridge News art: rcw rep: Lisa COLOUR: cmyk Out: 2:52ja13rcw Cor: 9:40ja14rcw Council Meeting Schedule Mayor and Council encourage everyone to attend these important public meetings. It’s your chance to see how public policy is debated and enacted. Monday, January 18 10:00 am, Workshop - Blaney Room 1:00 pm, Committee of the Whole - Council Chambers Tuesday, January 19 7:00 pm, Public Hearing - Council Chambers Monday, January 25 10:00 am, Workshop - Blaney Room Tuesday, January 26 7:00 pm, Council Meeting - Council Chambers Agendas & Minutes Agendas for these meetings are posted online the Friday before the meeting date. Go to mapleridge.ca, click the link under Your Council on the home page. Workshop at a Glance Subscribe to the ‘Workshop at a Glance’ eNewsletter that provides a summary of issues discussed at Council Workshop meetings. Go to mapleridge.ca, click the link to ‘Notify Me’ and sign up today. Council Meeting Videos If you are unable to attend a Council Meeting, Public Hearing, Workshop, or Committee of the Whole meeting you can now watch these meetings on your computer 24/7. The entire unedited meetings are posted two to three days after the meeting. The video is indexed to the agenda package so that you can watch them in their entirety or click through by agenda item. Go to mapleridge.ca and click on the video link at the centre of the home page. In addition, Council Meetings, Workshops, and Committee of the Whole are now broadcast on the internet via live streaming using the same technology used for our live budget Q&A sessions. For more information about the live stream go to the ‘Council Meetings’ page at mapleridge.ca. MID-MONTH JANUARY 2016 It’s going to be a busy 2016, and if you want to stay engaged with your Council’s work start by downloading the 2016 Council Meeting calendar from mapleridge.ca. The complete calendar can be found by clicking the ‘Your Council’ link on the home page and going to the ‘Council Meetings’ tab. The calendar is available in two formats, a list or in a colour-coded calendar format. The ‘Your Council’ Link is also the place to get the agendas and reports that Council reviews prior to the presentations and discussion on the many issues that they deal with throughout the year. Each meeting is part of a process by which Council has discussion and debate on issues and public policy. Often by the time Council votes for fi nal reading on a piece of legislation it has been before them at least six times – starting at a Council Workshop or Committee of the Whole meeting weeks or months before. Meetings are open to the public and the locations are part of the agenda package and published on the right side of these monthly updates. In addition, you can sign up for ‘push’ notifi cations so you get an email or text to your smartphone when you subscribe to the specifi c items that are important to you. Finally, the meetings are all recorded and live-streamed on the City website. The easiest way to connect is to click on the ‘Videos’ link beside the newsroom tab on the home page. That will give you the quick link to the meeting that you want to view. Watch live, or go back through the archives so you can see the debate and discussion on any issue that’s important to you. By now you should have received your 2016 Property Assessment Notice in the mail from BC Assessment. That document contains the assessed value of your home and property as of July 1, 2015 and that amount will be used to determine your property tax amount later this year. You should read the document carefully and compare it to last year’s notice. If you think that the value is not correct, there is a process to appeal your assessment that has to be initiated by the end of the month. Go to bcassessment.ca for information on how the assessment is determined, what’s involved in fi ling an appeal and fi nd tools to allow you to browse home values in your area online so you can do some comparisons before you fi le an appeal. Even in this hot real estate market there are wide variations in the values of properties depending on the dwelling type and neighbourhood. Some people saw a drop in the value of their property and some have seen signifi cant increases. That’s why it’s important to check the assessment carefully before fi ling it away with your important documents. The deadline to fi le an appeal is Monday, February 1, 2016. Look for complete details online at bcassessment.ca. INFORMED: Emergency Planning Are You Ready for an Emergency? Contact us at enquiries@mapleridge.ca In December the ‘earth moved’ as the result of a 4.3 magnitude earthquake east of Victoria. That was the hot topic for the next few days as people pondered what they would do if that earthquake had been more serious. Based on the social media posts and the run on bottled water and batteries after the wind storm in August it appears that many people aren’t prepared to look after themselves for AMINIMUM OF 72 HOURS after a disaster. As we saw in August, it took BC Hydro crews up to three days to restore power to everyone in our community. Those who were prepared breezed through the emergency. Learn the Skills in a FREE Emergency Preparation Workshop We invite you to register for a FREE 90 minute workshop that will walk you through the process of developing an emergency plan which will allow you to be ready for a power outage, winter storm, earthquake or other disaster. Learn what hazards can affect Maple Ridge and what you can do to protect your home, build an emergency kit and reunite with your family and loved ones. Choose the date that best fi ts your schedule. The fi rst workshop runs Thursday, January 21, at 7:00 pm and the second is on Saturday, January 23, at 1:00 pm. Both workshops will be held in Maple Ridge’s Council Chambers. Seating is limited to 100 people, so please register as soon as you can by sending an email to emergencyprogram@mapleridge.ca. If you were looking for a New Year’s resolution, this is a good one. Make a plan. Be prepared.