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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022-10-17 Committee of the Whole (Regular) MinutesCounty of Newell Meeting Minutes Committee of the Whole October 17, 2022 - 09:00 AM The Committee of the Whole Meeting of the County of Newell was held in the County Office in Room 154/156 on Monday, October 17, 2022 commencing at 9:01 a.m. Notice was posted at the front entrance advising the public of the meeting. CHAIR: D. Short COUNCILLORS: A. Skanderup L. Kopp H. Johnson G. Skriver K. Christman E. Unruh A. Philpott A. Doerksen N. Johnson STAFF: M. Fenske, Chief Administrative Officer L. Johnson, Director of Corporate Services M. Harbicht, Director of Municipal Services G. Tiffin, Supervisor of Planning, Development and Engineering M. Jackson, Supervisor of Planning and Development Z. Forest, Municipal Intern - Planning S. Luchies, Newell Regional Fire Chief A. Nielsen, Executive Assistant OTHERS IN S. Stanway, Brooks Bulletin ATTENDANCE: B. Conger, ISL Engineering 1. CALL TO ORDER Councillor D. Short called the meeting to order at 9:01 a.m. 2. EXCUSED FROM MEETING All members were in attendance at this meeting. 3. ADOPTION OF MINUTES 3.1 Minutes - Committee of the Whole (June 20, 2022) W-03/22 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR LYNETTE KOPP that the June 20, 2022 Committee of the Whole Meeting minutes be adopted as presented. MOTION CARRIED Committee of the Whole October 17, 2022 4. ADOPTION OF AGENDA W-04/22 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR KELLY CHRISTMAN that the agenda be adopted as presented. MOTION CARRIED 5. BUSINESS FROM MINUTES 5.1 Strategic Priorities Update The Chief Administrative Officer provided an update on Strategic Priorities. • Economic Development terms of reference were reviewed during the June 20, 2022 Committee of the Whole meeting; Brooks Region Tourism remains but 'Newell' has been incorporated into other branding; further discussion is required regarding tying voting rights to financial contributions • Bassano Project and affordable/subsidized housing • Southern Alberta Energy from Waste Alliance - invite the chair to provide an update once the Expressions of Interest review is complete • County's Agriculture Strategy - break down into manageable pieces; such as encouraging young people to continue the family farm, enhancement of irrigation • Maternity clinic funding - extend to include palliative care; incentives to draw nurses to the region; advocacy for nurse practitioners 6. DELEGATIONS 6.1 Municipal Development Plan - Update & Feedback 8. Conger provided an overview of public feedback received regarding the Municipal Development Plan (MDP), indicating that the next phase of public engagement will gather more specific feedback on each of the priorities identified. Council reviewed a proposed vision statement as follows: "To encourage and attract sustainable growth and support a high quality of life within the County of Newell. " W-05/22 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR GREG SKRIVER that the Committee of the Whole refers the revised County of Newell Vision Statement to a future Council Meeting for further discussion. MOTION CARRIED Council reviewed a proposed mission statement as follows: "The County of Newell through leadership, partnership, and effective policy provides services, structure and stability to its residents. " The Manager of Planning, Development & Engineering and the Supervisor of Planning & Development responded to questions. It was noted that all strategic priorities, initiatives, and services provided by the County of Newell relate back to the vision, mission, and guiding principles. Discussion followed regarding Page 2 of 6 Committee of the Whole October 17, 2022 alternatives for the word 'residents.' The Manager of Planning, Development & Engineering indicated that additional mission statement examples would be prepared for discussion at a future Council meeting. Council reviewed each of the MDP principles and their four associated goals to achieve those principles over the next twenty years. RECESS The Committee of the Whole meeting RECESSED at 10:44 a.m. and RECONVENED at 10:52 a.m. 6.1 Municipal Development Plan - Update & Feedback - continued Discussion continued regarding the MDP principles. B. Conger indicated that policy would be drafted for each of the goa/s and presented to Council and the public for further feedback. Additional information is required to define "regenerative agriculture" and "inclusive communities. " Discussion followed regarding directing growth in the County and specific items raised included: • limit further industrial development south of the intersection between Highway 1 and Highway 36. • consider residential development south of Lake Newell and on the west side of Crawling Valley 8. Conger provided information on hamlet classifications used by other municipalities and explained the difference between a growth hamlet versus a rural (or non-growth) hamlet. A growth hamlet would be promoted as a sustainable place to live with more diverse opportunities for development. LUNCH The Committee of the Whole meeting RECESSED for lunch at 12:01 p.m. and RECONVENED at 12:46 p. m. 6.1 Municipal Development Plan - Update & Feedback - continued Council reviewed the list of hamlets within the County and classified them as follows: • Rural Hamlets - Bow City, Cassi/s, Gem, Patricia, Rainier • Growth Hamlets - Lake Newell Resort, Rolling Hills, Scandia, Tilley • Hamlet designation will be removed from Millicent The Manager of Planning, Development & Engineering indicated that policies that refer to service delivery in hamlets will be reviewed to determine potential impact of these classifications. 8. Conger noted that hamlet boundaries will be revisited during the MDP review process. Page 3 of 6 Committee of the Whole October 17, 2022 Discussion followed regarding: • including a statement regarding the right to farm and protection of agriculture • renewable energy development - the Supervisor of Planning & Development indicated that the County can register as an intervener as soon as an application is received, then a Request for Decision can be prepared for Council to discuss in depth. 8. Conger provided an update on MDP project timelines, indicating that policies will be drafted for Council to review in November. In person and virtual open houses are planned for December. The Municipal Intern - Planning will be meeting with the hamlet associations to obtain feedback. LEFT THE MEETING B. Conger, M. Jackson, and Z. Forest left the meeting at 1:41 p.m. 7. NEW BUSINESS 7.1 Realignment of the County's Electoral Divisions Councillor D. Short initiated the discussion, indicating that the County's population is not evenly distributed across the ten electoral divisions. While discussing adjusting divisional boundaries to even out the populations, reducing the number of Councillors can also be discussed. Discussion followed. Points raised against included: • Alberta does not require an even population distribution • residents are not in favor • Concerns regarding losing the rural voice • Events such as dissolution of municipalities and separation of Hutterite colonies can cause population changes Discussion followed and it was noted that all residents deserve an equal voice. The suggestion was made to discuss equalizing the population separately from reducing the number of divisions. The Director of Corporate Services responded to questions regarding the most recent effort to realign the divisions. Concerns raised regarding the previous proposal were that the divisions were split up without respect to natural boundaries or established communities and public consultation was limited. Discussion followed. The Director of Corporate Services responded to questions, indicating that the number of Councillors can stay ten or be reduced to an odd number in accordance with the Municipal Government Act. W-06/22 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR GREG SKRIVER that the Committee of the Whole refers to Council for formal discussion the matter of balancing the population throughout the County's electoral divisions with options that include reducing the number of divisions. Discussion followed. The Director of Corporate Services and the Chief Administrative Officer responded to further questions from Council. Regarding public consultation, Council indicated that it would be best to start the process over instead of resuming past conversations. Page ,4 of 6 Committee of the Whole October 17, 2022 Councillor D. Short called the question. VOTE ON MOTION W-06/22 - MOTION CARRIED 7.2 Road Maintenance Service Levels & Policy Updating The Director of Municipal Services provided an overview of the County's gravel road maintenance program and asked if Council was interested in service level changes in advance of reviewing the policy. Options include a regular grading rotation, basing grading frequency on traffic levels, and grading in response to customer service requests. The Director of Municipal Services responded to questions from Council. Discussion followed and Council agreed that they were satisfied with the existing road maintenance policy. Gravel road maintenance will be monitored, and issues addressed as they arise. The Road Maintenance Policy will be brought to a future Council meeting for a formal review. RECESS The Committee of the Whole meeting RECESSED at 2:45 p.m. and RECONVENED at 2:55 p.m. 7.3 Tax Incentives for Non-Residential Property The Chief Administrative Officer provided background information on this item including examples of tax incentives offered by other municipalities and a list of potential benefits. Council was given the opportunity to ask questions. Discussion followed and Council suggested inviting the Eastern Irrigation District to a presentation by an expert on incentives that would encourage economic development. W-07/22 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR NEIL JOHNSON that the Committee of the Whole refers developing a tax incentive for attracting new non-residential development to a regular Council meeting for consideration. MOTION CARRIED 7.4 Hamlet Utilities - Applying a Base Charge on Vacant Parcels The Chief Administrative Officer provided background information on this item, indicating that none of the municipalities surveyed apply a base charge forserviced empty lots. Councillor G. Skriver provided additional information, indicating that servicing costs are built into the cost of development. W-08/22 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR GREG SKRIVER that the Committee of the Whole accepts the report entitled "Hamlet Utilities - Applying a Base Charge on Vacant Parcels" as information. Discussion continued. The Director of Corporate Services and the Chief Administrative Officer responded to further questions. VOTE ON MOTION W-08/22 - MOTION CARRIED Page 5 of 6 Committee of the Whole October 17, 2022 ARRIVED AT MEETING S. Luchies arrived at the meeting 7.5 Invoicing for Fire & Emergency Services Response The Director of Corporate Services provided background information on this item, indicating that the practice of billing for emergency response services should be standardized throughout the County. The Newell Regional Fire Chief provided additional information regarding billing practices of neighbouring municipalities and responded to questions. Discussion followed. It was noted the Fire & Emergency Services agreements allow Rosemary and Duchess to bill for emergency services calls and these amounts should be recorded as revenue. W-09/22 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR LYNETTE KOPP that the Committee of the Whole refers "Invoicing for Fire & Emergency Services Response" to Council for further discussion as part of the Schedule of Fees Bylaw review. MOTION CARRIED 8. IN CAMERA There were no in camera items to discuss at this meeting. 9. DATE OF NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held on Monday, January 16, 2023. The Chairman will be Councillor Adena Skanderup (Division 2). 10. ADJOURN Being that the agenda matters have been concluded, the meeting adjourned at 3:40 p.m. `��` �G�,�c� Signed this day of ` � , 2023 > � , � ��-- Reeve �� �--� County Admi 'stra o Page 6 of 6