Mountain View County council has approved a one-year amnesty program for non-compliant developments.
A motion approving the program was passed at the May 14 regularly scheduled council meeting. The program will be in effect until June 1, 2015.
Under the program, developers have a one-year time frame to voluntarily submit application for any development that does not have the necessary permits.
No penalty fee would apply for a voluntary application, the regular application fee would be required, and all applications would be referred to the applicable planning authorities.
“It was the general consensus of council that penalties are to be applied for development that has occurred without necessary permits,” said CAO Tony Martens. “Administration advised council that it is often a challenge to convince an individual to apply for a development permit when they are faced with an application fee and a penalty fee. It also makes working with the applicant a difficult process.
“It is the hope that this amnesty program will encourage voluntary compliance for individuals who have proceeded with development without the necessary permits required through the land use bylaw.”
Reeve Bruce Beattie says although it is not known exactly how many developments may be non-compliant in the county, he hopes people will take advantage of the new program.
“This is for people who are non-compliant but who perhaps have built on the theory that I will ask forgiveness as opposed to permission,” said Beattie. “We are prepared to give some forgiveness if they will now ask for permission.
“We would prefer to operate on that system volunteer process as opposed to someone raising an issue and launching a complaint and going through that process because it is expensive for them and for us.”
The county approved an updated land use bylaw in March. That update included the addition of two sections.
Where development has proceeded without the necessary permits, the following fees shall be applied, in addition to the regular application fees:
• One hundred per cent of the offence penalty fees for compliant driven applications as per MVC's fee schedule bylaw with a date stated to initiate compliance, plus application fees.
• Fifty per cent of the offence penalty fees for voluntary applications as per MVC's fee schedule bylaw, plus the application fees.
