On behalf of the mayor, council and city staff, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year.
This past year has brought some changes to our staffing and operations in the city.
Milo MacDonald has been appointed chief administrative officer for the City of Williams Lake, moving on from his former role as Inspector of the Williams Lake RCMP Detachment.
Since that time, we have undertaken the process of recruiting a chief financial officer.
I would like to thank the staff for pulling together and assisting council in carrying on our work while recruiting for these key positions.
There were a number of exciting events this summer with the Chinese delegation and the Martial Arts performance, which offered our community opportunities to showcase our city and region.
These visits have created some economic interest in our area. I am hopeful in the new year we will be able to build further on these relationships.
We were once again hosts to a successful Stampede, which was enjoyed by locals and visitors alike, and we were pleased to welcome delegates to the Elders Gathering.
This year, a Business Walk was sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, BIA and the Economic Development Corporation, which brought forward some very interesting responses and indicated confidence in our future direction.
Internally, we are on target with our finances and are focusing on completing our 2017 budget despite significant staff changes.
We have remained stable, and look forward to increasing our growth in 2017, with some significant construction proposals underway.
Once again, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!
- Mayor Walt Cobb