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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-03-08 Council (Regular) Minutes COUNTY OF NEWELL MINUTES OF REGULAR COUNCIL March 8, 2018 The regular Council Meeting of the County of Newell was held in the County Office on Thursday, March 8, 2018 commencing at 11:16 a.m. MEMBERS Molly Douglass, Reeve PRESENT: COUNCILLORS: C. Amulung H. Kallen A.M. Philipsen T. Fyfe K. Christman E. Unruh B. de Jong L. Juss ABSENT: W. Hammergren STAFF: K. Stephenson, Chief Administrative Officer L. Johnson, Director of Corporate Services A. Wickert, Manager of Planning & Development D. Horvath, County Planner- ORRSC K. Hofmann, IT Administrative Assistant K. Martin, Manager of Fire & Emergency Services T. Green, Director of Agricultural Services M. Harbicht, Director of Municipal Services J. PorFoun, Executive Operations Administrative Assistant A. Nielsen, Executive Assistant OTHERS IN S. Stanway, Brooks Bulletin ATTENDANCE: T. Anderson, Applicant - Road Closure -Approval to Proceed L. Steinbach, Applicant- Road Closure -Approval to Proceed A. Kassem, Global Village K. Steinley, Newell Regional Services Corporation D. Klassen, Gem Fire Department 1. CALL TO ORDER . Reeve M. Douglass called the meeting to order at 11:16 a.m. 2. EXCUSED FROM MEETING C-63/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR HUBY KALLEN that Councillor W. Hammergren be excused from the meeting. MOTION RRIED Regular Council March 8,2018 3. ADOPTION OF MINUTES 3.1 Minutes -Council (February 22, 2018) C-64/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR BRIAN DE JONG that the February 22, 2018 Council Meeting minutes be adopted as presented. MOTION CARRIED 4. CALL FOR POST AGENDA ITEMS Reeve M. Douglass called for post agenda items. 5. ADOPTION OF AGENDA C-65/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR CLARENCE AMULUNG that the agenda be adopted as amended. MOTION CARRIED ARRIVED AT MEETING A. Kassem arrived at 11:00 a.m. 8. DELEGATIONS 8.1 Global Village/Medicine Hat College A. Kassem provided information to Council regarding the partnership between Global Village and Medicine Hat Col/ege. The goal is for Medicine Hat College to become recognized as a cultura/ hub for southeast Alberta and assistance from the County and the City is requested to encourage peop/e to attend cultural capacity building sessions there. A. Kassem provided details regarding past workshops and presentations. He also provided an update on the PTSD research project, indicating that interviews shou/d be finished in the next two weeks. The focus of the cultural capacity building is the empowerment of newcomers to the community, promotion of inclusivity, and encouragement of dialogue. A. Kassem indicated that the Councils of the County, Brooks, Bassano, Duchess, and Rosemary were invited to a special session of the Building Cultural Capacity in Brooks and the County of Newell workshop on March 27, 2018. Additional sessions will be he/d in Brooks on March 26 and in Medicine Hat on March 28. ARRIVED AT MEETING A. Wickert and D. Horvath arrived at 11:31 a.m. A. Kassem responded to questions from Council. LEFT THE MEETING A ss ��eft the meeting at 11:33 a.m. ) � Page 2 of 11 Regular Council March 8,2018 C-66/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR TRACY FYFE that we move into Public Hearings at 11:34 a.m. MOTION CARRIED 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS 6.1 Bylaw 1903-18 - 18 LUA 001 (Text Amendments to Administrative Section of LUB 1892-17) Reeve M. Douglass called the Public Hearing to order at 11:34 a.m. Reeve M. Doug/ass did not review the procedures that would be followed for the hearing as there were no new persons in attendance. The County Planner stated that the intent of the Public Hearing is to hear representations on Bylaw 1903-18. The intent of this bylaw is to amend Land Use Bylaw 1892-17 to be compliant with recent amendments to the Municipal Government Act, Revised Statutes of Alberta 2000, Chapter M-26, Part 17. The County Planner provided background information on this item, indicating that a copy of the document had been circu/ated to neighbouring municipalities and affected agencies. None of the responses indicated any concerns. The County Planner addressed questions raised during the February 8, 2018 Council meeting discussion on Bylaw 1903-18 and provided suggested amendments. ARRIVED AT MEETING M. Harbicht arrived at 11:37 a.m. There were no persons in attendance speaking either in favor of or in opposition to the proposed bylaw. Council was given the opportunity to ask questions. Discussion followed. C-67/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR KELLY CHRISTMAN that we move out of Public Hearings at 11:44 a.m. MOTION CARRIED ARRIVED AT MEETING K. Steinley arrived at 11:45 a.m. 7. BYLAWS 7.1 Bylaw 1903-18 - 18 LUA 001 (Text Amendments to Administrative Section of LUB 1892-17) C-68/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR BRIAN DE JONG that Bylaw 1903-18, being a bylaw to amend Land Use Bylaw 1892-17 to be compliant with recent amendments to the Municipal Government Act, Revised Statutes of Alberta 2000, Chapter M-26, Part 17, be given SECOND reading with the following amendments: Page 3 of 11 � ; Regular Council March 8,2018 : • Section 51.1 should read "Any person who contravenes any provision of this bylaw is guilty of an offence in accordance with the applicable provincial legislation." • Section 27.2 should read "Any application for a development permit shall be made by submitting to the Development officer the following, which must be of a quality to properly evaluate the application: ..." MOTION CARRIED C-69/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR ANNE MARIE PHILIPSEN that Bylaw 1903-18 be given THIRD and FINAL reading. MOTION CARRIED 7.2 Bylaw 1904-18 - 18 LUA 002 (NE 5-19-15-W4 -A to SH) The County Planner provided background information on this item and responded to questions from Council. C-70/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR LIONEL JUSS that Bylaw 1904-18, being a bylaw to amend Land Use Bylaw 1892-17 by redesignating approximately 13.87 acres (5.61 hectares) in NE 5-19-15-W4 from A - Agricultural District to SH - Small Holdings District, be given FIRST reading. MOTION CARRIED � 10. ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS 10.2 Road Closure -Approval to Proceed (W 30-20-17-W4 & E-25-20-18-W4; SW 31-20-17-W4&SE 36-20-18-W4) The Manager of Planning&Development provided background information on this item, indicating that the previous landowner had obtained permission from the County in 1985 to cross the road allowance with a pivot irrigation system. A formal agreement was proposed, and the current landowner has requested the closure of additional road allowances. The Manager of Planning & Development indicated on a map the lands and accesses involved. The applicant provided further background information to Council. The Manager of P/anning&Deve/opment and the applicant responded to questions from Council. C-71/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR CLARENCE AMULUNG that we proceed with the process for closing and LEASING the undeveloped road allowances between SE 36-20-18-W4 and SW 31-20-17-W4, and between E 25-20-18-W4 and W 30-20-17-W4(north and south of the EID canal). MOTION CARRIED LEFT THE MEETING L. Steinbach left the meeting at 12:03 p.m. s ' Page 4 of 11 Regular Council March 8,2018 10.3 Road Closure -Approval to Proceed (NW 31-15-13-W4 &SW 6-16-13-W4; NE 31-15-13-W4 &SW 6-16-13-W4) The Manager of Planning&Development provided background information on this item and responded to questions from Council. The applicant was present to respond to questions from Council. C-72/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR ANNE MARIE PHILIPSEN that we proceed with the process for closing and LEASING the road allowances between NW 31-15-13-W4 and SW 6-16-13-W4, and between a portion of NE 31-15-13-W4 and a portion of SW 6-16-13-W4. MOTION CARRIED LEFT THE MEETING A. Wickert, D. Horvath, and T. Anderson left the meeting at 12:08 p.m. 11. MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUSINESS 11.1 Utilities - NRSC Report K. Steinley presented The Utilities - NRSC Report to Council, giving an overview of the highlights. Hamlet distribution systems are operating normally. NRSC staff have been rep/acing some water meters in Rolling Hills. K. Stein/ey provided an overview of the inspection at Lake Newell Resort conducted recently by A/berta Environment & Parks, indicating that it received a score of 95%. Rural water operators have been dealing with some minor snow issues. There are no issues with the wastewater collection system. Year-end reports required by Alberta Environment were submitted on time. Council was given the opportunity to ask questions. K. Steinley responded to questions from Council regarding winter conditions and the rural water system. LEFT THE MEETING K. Steinley and M. Harbicht left the meeting at 12:17 p.m. LUNCH Council RECESSED for lunch at 12:17 p.m. and RECONVENED at 1:02 p.m. ARRIVED AT MEETING K. Hofmann arrived at 1:02 p.m. 8. DELEGATIONS —continued 8.2 Community Engagement(K. Hofmann) K. Hofmann provided information to Council regarding current efforts to engage the community via the website and social media. Council identified community engagement as a corporate strategic priority in 2014. The Commu "cati ns Page 5 of 11 Regular Council March 8, 2018 Committee has developed a socia/media plan involving the County's three main channels - Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. K. Hofmann provided statistics _ regarding the current number of followers and the people reached by post. ARRIVED AT MEETING K. Martin arrived at 1:07 p.m. K. Hofmann indicated that a recent poll indicated that followers are most interested in seeing bylaw information, fun content, and events in the County. She requested Council's assistance and asked that they share events happening in their division using the Events Submission form that has been created. Examples of events that are currently being shared were provided. ARRIVED AT MEETING D. Klassen arrived at 1:10 p.m. Council was given the opportunity to ask questions. K. Hofmann displayed a spreadsheet used to track postings, indicating a mix of curated and original material. This is used to determine which posts are getting the most feedback. K. Hofmann responded to questions regarding followers, indicating that if someone has subscribed they are interested in information from the County. Council suggested posting employee profiles. A standing item will be added to the Information/tems section of all future Council agendas so that Council can provide information regarding upcoming events in their division. LEFT THE MEETING K. Hofmann and Councillor B. de Jong left the meeting at 1:17 p.m. 10. ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS —continued 10.4 Request for Additional Funding Prior to Final 2018 Budget Approval (Bush Buggies) The Manager of Fire & Emergency Services provided background information on this item. The Director of Corporate Services and the Manager of Fire & Emergency Services responded to questions from Council. The Manager of Fire &Emergency Services provided further information regarding the cost of the bush buggies, indicating that the 20 Year Capital Apparatus Replacement Plan is based on estimates of what the equipment will cost in the future. C-73/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR KELLY CHRISTMAN that $520,000.00 be approved for the purchase of Four (4) new Bush Buggy Units with funding coming from Restricted Surplus Apparatus Funds, plus a $27,000.00 adjusted increase in funds being transferred to e icted Surplus to reflect the changes to the 20 Year Capital Apparatus Replacement d. MOTION CARRIED Page 6 of 11 Regular Council March 8,2018 LEFT THE MEETING K. Martin and D. Klassen left the meeting at 1:32 p.m. 10.5 AAMDC Spring 2018 Convention Resolutions Council was presented with the resolutions package for the AAMDC Spring 2018 Convention. Discussion followed on the resolutions and whether to support them. ARRIVED AT MEETING T. Green arrived at 1:36 p.m. 10.6 Invitation to 2018 Citizen of the Year/Junior Citizen of the Year Gala & Request for Proclamation (National Volunteer Week) Council was presented with background information on this item. Councillor C. Amulung provided further background information, reminding Council to submit nominations. C-74/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR ANNE MARIE PHILIPSEN that Council hereby proclaims April 15-21, 2018 as "National Volunteer Week" in the County of Newell. MOTION CARRIED 9. AGRICULTURAL SERVICES BUSINESS 9.1 ASB Update The Director of Agricultura/ Services presented an update on the recent activities of the Agricultura/Services Department. Council was given the opportunity to ask questions. The Director of Agricultural Services provided an update on the Emerson Bridge Park Supervisor position. Discussion followed regarding the possibility of recycling agricultural plastics. The Director of Agricultural Services indicated that Cypress County had been considering the purchase of an agricultural plastics roller and the County could rent it, but only one or two ratepayers have enquired about this service. Further discussion followed. The Director of Agricultura/Services responded to questions about phragmites. 9.2 Request for Support-Quagga &Zebra Mussel Prevention Program (District of Sicamous) The Director of Agricultural Services provided background information on this item and responded to questions from Council. Discussion followed. The Director of Agricultural Services indicated that he would involve the Eastern Irrigation District and compose a letter outlining our own prevention steps. Page 7 of 11 Regular Council March 8,2018 C-75/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR KELLY CHRISTMAN that the County of Newell support the District of Sicamous's request for Provincial funding to support prevention of Zebra and Quagga mussel introduction into BC water systems and furthermore that the County of Newell send correspondence as requested by the District of Sicamous. MOTION CARRIED LEFT THE MEETING T. Green left the meeting at 1:59 p.m. 10. ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS 10.1 Planning & Development Report Council was presented with a report outlining the recent activities of the Planning &Development Department. C-76/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR CLARENCE AMULUNG that the Planning & Development Report for January & February 2018 be accepted as presented. MOTION CARRIED 10.7 Councillor Payment Sheets (January 2018) C-77/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR ANNE MARIE PHILIPSEN that the January 2018 Councillor Payment Sheets be accepted with the amendments recommended by the Councillor Compensation Review Committee. MOTION CARRIED 10.8 Cheques for Payment There were no cheques for payment to discuss at this meeting. 10.9 Payment Register The Director of Corporate Services responded to questions from Council. C-78/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR KELLY CHRISTMAN that the Payment Register be accepted. MOTION CARRIED ARRIVED AT MEETING M. Harbicht and J. PorFoun arrived at 2:07 p.m. 10.10 Requests for Functions of Council Discussion followed regarding upcoming events. � � Page 8 of 11 Regular Council March 8,2018 C-79/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR ANNE MARIE PHILIPSEN that the following be APPROVED as functions of Council: • Bow River Basin Forum (March 14, 2018) - Councillor C. Amulung; • Workshop "Building Cultural Capacity in Brooks &the County of Newell" (March 27, 2018) - Councillor C. Amulung and Councillor K. Christman; • Alberta Community Crime Prevention Association Conference (May 8-10, 2018) - Councillor T. Fyfe. MOTION CARRIED 11. MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUSINESS 11.2 Director of Municipal Services Report The Director of Municipal Services presented his report to Council, giving an overview of the highlights. Council was given the opportunity to ask questions. C-80/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR HUBY KALLEN that the Director of Municipal Services Report and the Utilities - NRSC Report for February 2018 be APPROVED as presented. MOTION CARRIED 11.3 Policy Review - Dust Abatement Program The Director of Municipal Services provided background information on this item, outlining the proposed changes to the policies. C-81/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR TRACY FYFE that Policy 2018-PPW-052 (Dust Abatement Program - Non-Residential) and Policy 2018-PPW-053 (Dust Abatement Program - Residential) be adopted as presented. MOTION CARRIED 11.4 2018 Proposed Dust Abatement(County Paid) Program The Director of Municipa/ Services provided background information on this item, indicating that the dust abatement program was reviewed to increase efficiencies. Discussion followed regarding the se/ection of additional areas. Municipa/ Services staff will determine the additional areas requiring dust abatement and Council will review them only if there is a significant cost associated with the application of dust abatement product. The Director of Municipal Services indicated that approximately 70 ratepayers will be notified of theirremoval from the dust abatement program and given the opportunity to apply at their own expense. Councillors will be sent a copy of the notification along with a list of affected ratepayers in their division. The Director of Municipal Services responded to questions from Council. C-82/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR ANNE MARIE PHILIPSEN that Council APPROVES the 2018 Dust Abatement (County Paid) Program plans as presented. MOTION CARRIED LEFT THE MEETING J. Porfoun left the meeting at 2:33 p.m. _ Page 9 of 11 Regular Council March 8,2018 11.5 Enterprise Fleet Management Partnership The Director of Municipal Services provided background information on this item, including an overview of the costs and benefits associated with the enterprise Fleet Management program. He proposed signing up for one year to replace seven units that are due for replacement. The Director of Municipal Services responded to questions from Council regarding the units that are being disposed and not replaced and funding required. Discussion followed. C-83/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR TRACY FYFE that Council accepts the Municipal Services Department recommendation to proceed with entering into the enterprise Fleet Management partnership in managing up to seven (7) fleet on a one term arrangement with up to $258,427.00 funded from the Machinery & Equipment Fund with the proceeds from the sale of 15 units to be transferred to the Machinery & Equipment Fund. MOTION CARRIED LEFT THE MEETING M. Harbicht left the meeting at 2:57 p.m. 12. POST AGENDA ITEMS 12.2 Update - Least Conflict Lands The Director of Corporate Services provided an update on the Least Conflict Lands workshop to be he/d on April 12, 2018. The Miistakis /nstitute is seeking a representative of the Bow River Basin Council and has asked if a County Councillor could take on both roles. A tentative list of participants has been distributed for Council to review and suggest additional individuals. The Director of Corporate Services noted that the representation from the two counties shou/d be balanced. Discussion followed. Councillor L. Juss indicated that he wou/d withdraw his name if Councillor 8. de Jong agrees to participate. The Director of Corporate Services responded to questions from Council. Council suggested C. Wildschutt and members of the Newel/ Regional Tourism Association as representatives forthe Viewsheds group and E. Mattheis to replace C. Christensen for the Ecology group. The Director of Corporate Services indicated that the Miistakis /nstitute would make the fina/decision on the representatives. 12.1 Funding Request-Wheatland County (Building Successful Businesses) Council was presented with background information on this item. This item was referred to the next Joint Services Committee meeting. 13. INFORMATION ITEMS 13.1 Mini Bus Monthly Reports (February 2018) This item was accepted as information. Page 10 of 11 Regular Council March 8, 2018 14. QUESTION PERIOD/NOTICE OF MOTION A question period and notice of motion was held. 15. IN CAMERA There were no In Camera items to discuss at this meeting. 16. ADJOURN Being that the agenda matters have been concluded, the meeting adjourned at 3:10 p.m. Signed this f��y of �� , 2018 Reeve �� Cqu�rEy�'Administrator �� Page 11 of 11