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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-07-17 Committee of the Whole (Regular) Minutes County of Newell Meeting Minutes Committee of the Whole July 17, 2023 - 012:30 PM The Committee of the Whole Meeting of the County of Newell was held in the County Office in Room 154/156 on Monday, July 17, 2023 commencing at 12:30 p.m. Notice was posted at the front entrance advising the public of the meeting. No members of the public were present at this meeting. CHAIR: L. Kopp COUNCILLORS: A. Doerksen, Reeve D. Short A. Skanderup H. Johnson G. Skriver K. Christman E. Unruh A. Philpott N. Johnson STAFF: M. Fenske, Chief Administrative Officer L. Johnson, Director of Corporate Services M. Harbicht, Director of Municipal Services T. Green, Director of Agricultural Services A. Nielsen, Executive Assistant 1. CALL TO ORDER Councillor L. Kopp called the meeting to order at 12:30 p.m. 2. EXCUSED FROM MEETING All members were in attendance at this meeting. 3. ADOPTION OF MINUTES 3.1 Minutes - Committee of the Whole (January 16, 2023) W-05/23 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR ADENA SKANDERUP that the January 16, 2023 Committee of the Whole Meeting minutes be adopted as presented. MOTION CARRIED 4. ADOPTION OF AGENDA W-06/23 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR HOLLY JOHNSON that the agenda be adopted as amended. MOTION CARRIED Committee of the Whole July 17, 2023 5. BUSINESS FROM MINUTES 5.1 Strategic Priorities Update The Chief Administrative Officer provided an update on Strategic Priorities. Crop Diversification Centre South  letters will be sent to the Minister of Infrastructure and the Minister of Agriculture & Irrigation outlining the items to be negotiated in the lease  the goal is to have all the paperwork in place by January 2024 for the County to begin managing the research plots  to be determined - term of the initial lease and annual funding contribution  there is demand for the research plots but current bureaucracy prevents timely access One Clinic Model  meeting tomorrow with the City to review information gathered from other municipalities who are operating with a One Clinic Model  Joint Services Committee workshop scheduled for August 17, 2023 Bassano Continuing Care Facility  strategy session scheduled for August 3, 2023 with The Brenda Strafford Foundation, John Brown Architect, Newell Housing Foundation, and Town of Bassano Southern Alberta Energy from Waste Association  request for additional funding to complete the detailed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to be discussed at the July 20, 2023 Council meeting  detailed MOU required to access government funding sources  Council identified this item as a topic for discussion during the meeting with Premier/MLA D. Smith on July 26, 2023 Items added to the Strategic Priorities list:  Rural Water Phase 2 - The Manger of Planning, Development & Engineering will be bringing information to Council regarding increasing project costs. Council suggested that provincial funding be discussed with the Premier/MLA. 6. NEW BUSINESS 6.1 County Owned Property Report The Director of Agricultural Services provided background information on this item. County-owned properties are offered for sale to private landowners if the County has no current or future use of that property. Discussion occurred regarding the following:  Brooks Airport - the County and City jointly own the airport (50/50) and the City manages the leases; the airport hangars on site should be brought into compliance with the County's Land Use Bylaw  The Director of Corporate Services has been working with homeowners' associations to transfer ownership of Public Utility Lots with dugouts Page 2 of 5 Committee of the Whole July 17, 2023  County-owned property (i.e., Municipal Reserve land) is maintained by the County but private maintenance is not discouraged  grazing leases have been established to legitimize use  various uses have been considered for the land adjacent to the County facilities  reclamation costs for former landfill and gravel pit sites can prevent or delay the sale of County properties  a Final Acceptance Certificate will remain outstanding until a road has been constructed to County standards; obtaining security from a developer ensures that the County is not responsible for costs associated with correcting deficiencies The Director of Agricultural Services asked Council to review the County Owned Property report and provide feedback. 6.2 Weed Control - Level of Service The Director of Agricultural Services provided background information on this item. The Agricultural Services Department knows where most weeds occur and assists producers to the best of their ability. He requested feedback from Council for ways to improve the current weed control program and determine whether service level changes are required. Discussion followed. Weed control must occur before the plant goes to seed and that is dependent on the weather. The Director of Agricultural Services explained the weed control program assists with the management of 500 weed sites. He responded to questions from Council. Discussion followed regarding downy brome. The Director of Agricultural Services indicated that legislation requires containment of the spread of noxious weeds, not the eradication. Higher priority is placed on weeds that have more of an opportunity to spread. Some municipalities have a hierarchy to determine how resources are allocated to address specific weeds. Council asked for information that could be distributed to ratepayers regarding lawn alternatives and wildflower seed mixes. The Director of Agricultural Services responded to further questions. Council requested no changes to the weed control program at this time. 6.3 Gravel Road Maintenance - Level of Service The Director of Municipal Services provided background information on this item, indicating that washboard and dust are the main complaints. He noted that the road base plays a role in the quality of the road. The Director of Municipal Services requested feedback from Council regarding the gravel road maintenance program and whether service level changes should be considered. Discussion followed. The Director of Municipal Services responded to questions regarding haul route permits, indicating that it is beneficial if haul activity is communicated to Municipal Services staff. He provided details regarding the gravel road maintenance program and efforts to gain better fuel efficiency through the model of graders purchased. Page 3 of 5 Committee of the Whole July 17, 2023 Council requested the following:  determine costs to remove frost boils  compare cost of dust abatement application on major routes compared with regular grading Council requested no changes to the gravel road maintenance program at this time. The Director of Municipal Services responded to further questions regarding service request statistics and asked that ratepayers be encouraged to report any issues or submit service requests through NewellConnect. LEFT THE MEETING M. Harbicht and T. Green left the meeting at 2:29 p.m. RECESS The Committee of the Whole meeting RECESSED at 2:29 p.m. and RECONVENED at 2:36 p.m. 6.4 Recreation Facility Improvement Funding Policy Review The Chief Administrative Officer provided background information on this item. Council was asked for feedback regarding how to improve the Recreation Facility Improvement funding policy and streamline the process for applicants. Council provided the following:  include definitions for urgent and emergency situations  require applicants to attend the meeting to respond to questions from Council regarding their application  applications should include clear budgets with specific funding sources and facility usage statistics  remove the ranges for funding sources by project category and make them static percentages The Chief Administrative Officer responded to questions from Council, indicating that the updated policy would be presented to Council for review at an upcoming meeting. Once adopted, the policy will be forwarded to the community groups. The Chief Administrative Officer and Director of Corporate Services are available to assist with preparing applications. 7. IN CAMERA W-07/23 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR ADENA SKANDERUP that we move in camera at 3:14 p.m. to discuss the following matters:  Legal - FOIPP Act Section 27. MOTION CARRIED W-08/23 MOVED BY COUNCILLOR HOLLY JOHNSON that we move out of camera at 3:46 p.m. MOTION CARRIED Page 4 of 5 Committee of the Whole July 17, 2023 8. DATE OF NEXT MEETING The next meeting will be held on Monday, October 16, 2023. The Chairman will be Councillor Holly Johnson (Division 4). 9. ADJOURN Being that the agenda matters have been concluded, the meeting adjourned at 3:46 p.m. th Signed this __15 __ day of __November_______________ , 2023 _____________________________ Reeve _____________________________ County Administrator Page 5 of 5