December 12, 2022 Council Highlights
The following is a summary of decisions made by Town Council during its December 12, 2022 Organizational Meeting and Regular Meeting. For an audio recording of this meeting please check the bottom of this page. The agenda and attachments are available here: Peace River – Document Center (civicweb.net)
Business Grant Program
On October 3, 2022 Council directed Administration to undertake a Business Grant Survey to understand the interest in the Town developing Business Grants to support and incentivize (re)investment in the town, our commercial building stock, and the built environment.
The survey included a series of building improvement questions about business or building owners intentions to undertake improvements, and presented 7 grant category options for feedback:
- Business Revitalization Grant
- Residential Infill Grant
- Barrier-Free Grant
- Patio Grant
- Façade Improvement Grant
- Tourism Enhancement Grant
- Demolition Grant
The grant categories seek to address some of the challenges and opportunities facing the community, including:
- older buildings that do not meet current accessibility standards,
- the presence of derelict buildings,
- the increasing popularity of patios,
- the infrastructure efficiency opportunities of infill development and maintaining our existing building stock.
Based on the survey results, the grant categories that would be developed in 2023, subject to budget approval, are the:
- Business Revitalization Grant,
- Tourism Enhancement Grant, and
- Façade Improvement Grant.
Administration has included $50,000 in the 2023 operating budget for consideration during budget deliberations. With the budget approval, Administration will begin development of these grant programs.
Interim Operating Budget and 2023 Capital Budget Approved
To maintain operations until the 2023 Operating budget is approved, the Town must pass an interim budget. Additionally, the Municipal Government Act (MGA) requires the Town approve its capital budget prior to the commencement of the next fiscal year.
The proposed interim budget and 2023 Capital Budget were approved by Council.
Click here to see the full interim budget.
Click here to see the full 2023 Capital Budget.
Community Services Fee Rates
As part of the 2023 operating budget process, fees and charges have been reviewed with the purpose of assessing for needed increases or adjustments. At the December Governance and Priorities meeting, Administration advised Council that fees were recently reviewed and discussed by the Community Services Board, which subsequently recommended fees be increased within a range of 4 to 6%. The resulting adjustments were presented and approved by Council.
Click here to view the new fees and charges.