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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2018-06-21 Council (Regular) Minutes COUNTY OF NEWELL MINUTES OF REGULAR COUNCIL June 21, 2018 The regular Council Meeting of the County of Newell was held in the County Office on Thursday, June 21, 2018 commencing at 10:54 a.m. MEMBERS Molly Douglass, Reeve PRESENT: COUNCILLORS: C. Amulung H. Kallen A.M. Philipsen W. Hammergren T. Fyfe K. Christman E. Unruh B. de Jong L. Juss STAFF: K. Stephenson, Chief Administrative Officer L. Johnson, Director of Corporate Services D. Horvath, County Planner M. Harbicht, Director of Municipal Services G. Tiffin, Manager of Engineering Services S. Kipta, IT Project Manager R. Fernell, Director of Information & Technology A. Nielsen, Executive Assistant OTHERS IN S. Stanway, Brooks Bulletin ATTENDANCE: 1. CALL TO ORDER �_.. -����--�� Reeve M. Doug/ass called the meeting to order at 10:54 a.m. 2. EXCUSED FROM MEETING All members were in attendance at this meeting. 3. ADOPTION OF MINUTES 3.1 Minutes - Council (June 7, 2018) C-180/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR KELLY CHRISTMAN that the June 7, 2018 Council Meeting minutes be adopted as presented. MOTION CARRIED Regular Council June 21,2018 4. CALL FOR POST AGENDA ITEMS Reeve M. Douglass called for post agenda items. 5. ADOPTION OF AGENDA C-181/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR TRACY FYFE that the agenda be adopted as amended. MOTION CARRIED 6. BYLAWS 6.1 Bylaw 1908-18 - Road Closure & LEASE (S 6-16-13-W4& N 31-15-13-W4) The Director of Corporate Services provided background information on this item and responded to questions from Council. C-182/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR ANNE MARIE PHILIPSEN that Bylaw 1908-18, being a bylaw for the purpose of closing to public travel and LEASING that portion of road allowance between S 6-16-13-W4 and N 31-15-13-W4 west of the Eastern Irrigation District Canal, be given SECOND reading. MOTION CARRIED C-183/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR CLARENCE AMULUNG that Bylaw 1908-18 be given THIRD and FINAL reading. MOTION CARRIED 6.2 Bylaw 1909-18 - Road Closure & LEASE (W 30-20-17-W4 & E 25-20-18-W4, SW 31-20-17-W4 & SE 36-20-18-W4) The Director of Corporate Services provided background information on this item and responded to questions from Council. C-184/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR TRACY FYFE that Bylaw 1909-18, being a bylaw for the purpose of closing to public travel and LEASING that portion of road between W 30-20-17-W4 and E 25-20-18-W4 and between SW 31-20-17-W4 and SE 36-20-18-W4, be given SECOND reading. MOTION CARRIED C-185/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR HUBY KALLEN that Bylaw 1909-18 be given THIRD and FINAL reading. MOTION CARRIED 8. ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS 8.1 North Headgates Area Redevelopment Plan The Director of Corporate Services provided background information on this item, indicating that O. Shantz was unab/e to attend today and has requested to attend the July 5, 2018 Council meeting to discuss the proposal. County staff have reviewed fhe information submitted. Changes to the internal road plan and lot lines are not of significant concern. Page 2 of 9 Regular Council June 21,2018 ARRIVED AT MEETING G. Tiffin arrived at 10:59 a.m. The Director of Corporate Services provided information regarding servicing for wastewater and potable water within the development. The original Area Redevelopment Plan provided for the construction of a communal wastewater collection system and the installation of a potable water system. Both of these have been omitted from the new proposal, which results in a significant cost savings overall. The figures submitted do not, however, include the costs that the individual lot owners would incur to inspect and upgrade all the existing individual holding tanks to ensure that they meet current standards. The Director of Corporate Services responded to questions from Council. A local improvement tax is used to cover costs applied equally to all properties and would not be appropriate in a situation where individual holding tanks would require differing levels of work to inspect and upgrade, if required. Discussion followed regarding the proposed road plan. The County Planner provided an overview of the changes, indicating that there are the same number of lots as in the original draft ARP. The lot that had been designated for the communal holding tank will be made available for residential purposes. The Manager of Engineering Services responded to questions regarding the revised road plan and the proximity to the wetland, indicating that a road could be facilitated in the proposed location with some minor adjustments. He responded to further questions regarding the turnaround bulbs and overland drainage. Further engineering has been put on hold until a final decision has been made regarding the ARP. The Manager of Engineering Services responded to questions regarding ' the road in the northern portion of the development, indicating that the proposed budget submitted did not include the amount required to purchase land from a private landowner. The County Planner and the Manager of Engineering Services responded to further questions from Council. ARRIVED AT MEETING � S. Kipta arrived at 11:27 a.m. j� Discussion followed regarding the sanitary sewer service. The Manager of Engineering Services responded to questions. If individual sanifary wastewater tanks are permitted, the existing tanks must be inspected and certified and the responsibility for the cost of doing this must be outlined in the proposed plan. The Manager of Engineering Services indicated that the Eastern Irrigation District is still requesting that vehicular access to Lake Newell be prohibited, but that the type of fencing and pedestrian access has not been discussed yet. The proposed road plan submifted would not impact the communal sanitary sewer service with a lot dedicated for the holding tank. The County Planner indicated that consideration must be given to how individual holding tanks would be accessed, as they would need to be pumped out on a regular basis. She noted that some of the existing tanks likely do not currently meet the setback requirements from the houses. The County Planner responded to further questions from Council. Discussion followed regarding fhe proposed text amendments. The County Planner responded to questions from Council, noting that the goa/ is to bring all Page 3 of 9 Regular Council June 21,2018 existing structures in the development into compliance. Text amendments will be dealt with once a decision has been made regarding the servicing. Discussion followed regarding the potable water system. The Manager of Engineering Services provided information regarding the rural distribution system. The landowner is responsible for the water system from the curbstop fo the residence and Newell Regional Services Corporation is not involved with the individual cisterns. The County Planner suggested that inspections are required through Alberta Safety Codes when a cistern is installed. The developer must commit to a suitable water source. The Manager of Engineering Services responded to questions regarding the water service for similar developments where water is delivered to a large cistern for use by several residences. In those situations, the communal cistern is owned and maintained by the landowner. This item will be brought back to the July 5, 2018 Council Meeting for further discussion. LEFT THE MEETING D. Horvath, M. Harbicht, and G. Tiffin left the meeting at 11:44 a.m. 7. DELEGATIONS 7.1 Update - Council Video Conferencing System The IT Project Manager provided an update on the Council Video Conferencing System. An evaluation of several systems is complete, and the decision was made to proceed with the vendor that had supplied equipment for testing. The IT Project Manager provided information on the cost of this system as compared with other systems that were evaluated. Some notable features include the ability to use existing sound equipment, the ability to record and stream, a single point of confact for support. The system is cloud-based and will be managed internally by the Department of Information & Technology. Up to 10,000 viewers can view the stream and up to 250 attendees can participate in online meetings. There will a/so be the ability to present to the sfream from any device and conduct voice and video ca//s. The IT Project Manager reported that the equipment has been received and set up can begin in anticipation of recording the July 5, 2018 meetings. Council was given the opportunity to ask questions. The IT Project Manager responded to questions regarding the recording of ineetings. One person in the meeting would start and stop recording. IT Department staff can watch the recording and monitor the bandwidth remotely. There will also be the ability for individuals to participate via a mobile device and be recorded in the stream. For instance, if Council requested an updafe on a project, a staff inember could be on site with a mobile device providing live information. LEFT THE MEETING S. Kipta left the meeting at 11:50 a.m. �� ���/ " Page 4 of 9 Regular Council June 21,2018 8. ADMINISTRATIVE BUSINESS — continued 8.2 2018 Duchess Fire Budget The Director of Corporate Services provided a summary of a report prepared by the Manager of Fire & Emergency Services and responded to questions from Council. Councillor 8. de Jong provided further background information and responded to questions from Council. C-186/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR KELLY CHRISTMAN that the Duchess & Rural Fire Area Committee 2018 Budget be APPROVED. MOTION CARRIED 8.3 Policy Review - Public Participation & Communications The Director of Corporate Services provided background information on this item and responded to questions from Council. The Chief Administrative Officer outlined some measures that would be taken to encourage public participation and communication. The Question Period will be held at the beginning of the Council meeting and e-mail will be promoted as the primary contact method. It has been suggested that an area for public participation be established on the County web site. The Chief Administrative Officer indicated that notifications will be posted on the website prior to July 1 St each year which will call for feedback into service levels and future budget considerations so that the public has the opportunity to provide recommendations for future budget considerations or program changes. Council was given the opportunity to ask questions. Discussion followed regarding ' Question Period and Council indicated that there should be a time limit for individual questions and a scheduled end time. Official delegations will a/so be given a time limit. The Director of Corporate Services responded to further questions, indicating that the intent is to notify the public of Council's open-door policy and educate them that not everything requires a formal request. Concerns identified include the potential for ratepayers wanting to discuss Public Hearing matters outside of the time allotted to the Public Hearing and ratepayers wanting to discuss issues that do require a formal request. Council requested that the policy be made available to the public for review and feedback prior to formal approval. This item will be brought back to the July 19, 2018 Council meeting for further discussion. 8.4 Councillor Payment Sheets (May 2018) ,,-'� /� �'1-�-`�'• C-187/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR LIONEL JUSS that the May 2018 Councillor Payment Sheets be accepted with the amendments recommended by the Councillor Compensation Review Committee. MOTION CARRIED 8.5 Cheques for Payment There were no cheques for payment to discuss at this meeting. Page 5 of 9 Regular Council June 21,2018 8.6 Payment Register C-188/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR KELLY CHRISTMAN that the Payment Register be accepted. MOTION CARRIED 8.7 Requests for Functions of Council There were no requests for functions of Council to discuss at this meeting. 9. MUNICIPAL SERVICES BUSINESS 9.1 2018 Construction Additional Spending Adjustment Council was presented with background information on fhis item and given the opportunity to ask questions. C-189/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR TRACY FYFE that Council APPROVES a budget adjustment in the amount of $75,705.00 to cover the tendered cost of HWY1A Drainage Improvements to be funded from the Infrastructure Fund. MOTION CARRIED 10. COMMITTEE REPORTS 10.1 Bow River Basin Council Councillor 8. de Jong provided the minutes of the June 13, 2018 Annual General Meeting of the Bow River Basin Council. 10.2 Joint Services Committee Reeve M. Douglass indicated that she forwarded the minutes from the May Joint Services Committee Meeting as well as the June Agenda package fo Council. Reeve M. Douglass responded to questions from Council, indicating that Deputy Reeve 8. de Jong would be attending fhe follow up to the Regional Strafegic Planning session. LUNCH Council RECESSED For lunch at 12:15 p.m. and RECONVENED at 1:00 p.m. ARRIVED AT MEETING R. Fernell arrived at 1:00 p.m. �� Page 6 of 9 Regular Council June 21,2018 11. POST AGENDA ITEMS 11.1 Request for Letter of Support- CARES Grant The Director of Information & Technology provided background information on this item. The working sub-group of the group considering the purchase of dark fibre is applying for grant funding to complete a feasibility study, obtain legal advice, and determine what would be required of the member municipalities in order to implement the project. She noted that the grant program requires a 50%municipal contribution, but the exact financial commitment from each member municipality has not been determined and a financial commitment is not required at this time. Council was given the opportunity to ask questions. The Chief Administrative Officer provided further background information, indicating that the Eastern Irrigation District, as the major internet service provider in the County, should be involved. The Director of Information& Technology responded to further questions from Council, indicating that a feasibility study is a good idea and that a clear plan for implementation is required. C-190/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR BRIAN DE JONG that Council provides a letter in support of the application by the City of Brooks to the Community and Regional Economic Support (CARES) program for grant funding to investigate the feasibility of bringing broadband to Southern Alberta Communities; further, that funding options be discussed during the 2019 Budget Planning meeting. MOTION CARRIED LEFT THE MEETING R. Fernell left the meeting at 1:10 p.m. 10. COMMITTEE REPORTS —continued 10.3 Newell Foundation Councillor H. Kallen reported that efforts continue for the Bassano Project. Trees have been planted for the life /ease properties. More efficient lights are being installed. Warranty work on the life /ease properties is complete. The Newell Foundation will be hosting barbecues for staff at both facilities on Augusf 28& 30, 2018. 10.4 Grasslands Regional FCSS � Councillor C. Amulung reported that a strategic planning session was held recently. Grasslands FCSS is considering a decision to request a funding increase from all municipalities in order to continue offering programs and services. The board approved the request for a funding increase for 2019. Councillor C. Amulung responded to questions from Council regarding the Meals on Wheels program and fhe request to increase funding. Page 7 of 9 Regular Council June 21,2018 10.5 Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) Annual Conference Councillor E. Unruh reported that the FCM Conference had been a good experience. She attended sessions on sewage treatment, the 911 dispatch center, and the Port of Halifax. Councillor E. Unruh, Councillor T. Fyfe, and Councillor K. Christman responded to questions from Council. 10.6 Rural Routes Canada Rolling Hills Agriculture Day Councillor C. Amulung provided an overview of the Rural Routes Canada Agriculture Day held in Rolling Hills. Attendees were given tours of South Slope Feeders, a registered wheat seed field, the Drost potato facility, and a carrot packaging plant. There were a/so presentations on cattle marketing and succession planning. Councillor H. Kallen and Councillor L. Juss provided further informafion regarding this event. 10.7 Reeve's Report Reeve M. Doug/ass reported that the minutes of the joint Southeast & Southwest Mayors & Reeves Associations were forwarded to Council. She a/so atfended a meeting of the Community Collaboration Network, whose goal is to work on mental health services within the community. This group received a presentation from a coordinated group from Lethbridge that works together to make sure individuals who have entered the system do not fall through the cracks. Some communities have hired people to assist individuals in navigafing the health care system. 11. POST AGENDA ITEMS — continued 11.2 Request to Reverse Tax Penalties The Director of Corporate Services provided background information on this item and responded to questions from Council. C-191/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR CLARENCE AMULUNG that the request for cancelling the late penalties applied to the Terris Diesel tax accounts be denied. MOTION CARRIED 11.3 Request for Proclamation - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Day (June 27, 2018) Reeve M. Douglass provided background information on this item. C-192/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR ELLEN UNRUH that Council hereby proclaims June 27, 2018 as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder(PTSD)Awareness Day in the County of Newell. MOTION CARRIED �.�d � Page 8 of 9 Regular Council June 21,2018 11.4 Rural Address Signs Councillor L. Juss commended staff for the County's rural addressing signs, which are well-colored and highly visible. 12. INFORMATION ITEMS 12.1 Strategic Priorities Chart This item was accepted as information. 12.2 Upcoming Community Events Council was provided a form to submif information for upcoming events in their community. 13. QUESTION PERIOD/NOTICE OF MOTION A question period and notice of motion was held. 14. IN CAMERA C-193/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR ANNE MARIE PHILIPSEN that we move in camera at 1:46 p.m. to discuss the following matters: ' • Labour- FOIPP Act Section 17. MOTION CARRIED C-194/18 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR LIONEL JUSS that we move out of camera at 1:59 p.m. MOTION CARRIED 15. ADJOURN Being that the agenda matters have been concluded, the meeting adjourned at 2:00 p.m. ..�-� `', Signed this � day of -- -�--� , 2018 � � � � fi" Reeve Cou Administrator Page 9 of 9