November 14, 2022 Council Highlights
The following is a summary of decisions made by Town Council during its November 14, 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)
30 Years of Service Award Presented to Fire Chief Harris
After 32 years of exemplary in Peace River, Fire Chief Tim Harris was presented his First Bar.
For the full details, please visit the page linked below.
Bylaw No. 2122 Communication Tower Amendment to Land Use Bylaw
After receiving inquiries from a telecommunications company regarding the possible construction of a communication tower in Peace River, staff discovered that the land use bylaw, as it existed, was inconsistent with the Town’s authority over communication tower developments.
As such, Administration proposed a land use bylaw amendment to remedy these issues, which are cited within the Request for Decision document.
Council carried the motion to provide first reading to Bylaw No. 2122, Communication Tower Amendment to the Land Use Bylaw No. 1891. Strategic Plan Alignment.
As such, a public hearing has been scheduled for Monday January 9, 2022 in the Council Chambers at 5:00PM.
For full details on the public hearing and where to submit comments, please visit the link below.
Repeal of Museum Board Bylaw No. 1806
At the October 24 Regular Council Meeting, a Request for Decision was presented to propose the dissolution of the Peace River Museum Board.
The reasoning behind this proposal was that the Board has struggled to maintain n full membership over the last five to seven years. The Bylaw required a membership of seven, with quorum being a majority of the members. The Board, at the time of proposal, had four members including the Council representative. Quorum has not been reached in over 10 months, with the last regular meeting being successfully held on November 17th, 2021.
Administration advertised for public members over the past six months, with no applications received. Comparatively, advertising for Community Services Board members has been successful. The nature of the more singular focused mandate of the Museum Board may narrow the potential candidates.
On October 19th, 2022 a regular meeting was attempted to discuss the future of the Board. Only two public members at large attended the meeting, which meant quorum was not attained. Administration and the members discussed two options for the Board’s future: dissolve the Board or move the Board responsibilities to the Community Services Board.
The public members expressed their preference for the Museum Board’s responsibilities of oversight of historical matters to be merged with the Community Services Board. This would still allow for the opportunity for community involvement, while meeting the accreditation requirements of the Alberta Museums Association. To be an accredited Museum in Alberta, the Museum would need to have a board (or Council) review and advise on matters of policy and deaccessioning. The Accreditation process occurs every 3 years, so this would not be an onerous addition to the Community Services Board responsibilities.
After deliberation, a final decision was made at this meeting.
Council carried the motion to direct Administration to present a bylaw to repeal the Museum Board Bylaw No. 1806, and a new or amending bylaw to expand the mandate of the Community Services Board to include appropriate oversight of the Museum.
Revised Budget Discussion Dates
At the October 3, 2022, Governance and Priorities meeting, administration presented a schedule for budget discussions; however, upon further reflection, administration will need to amend timelines initially scheduled.
With the addition of new members to staff, more time is required to review the budget and ensure both the Director of Corporate Services and CAO are familiar with its content and can have confidence in presentation knowing it has been thoroughly planned and vetted.
As such, the general budget overview will not be presented at the November 14th meeting. The new tentative schedule is as follows:
- November 21, 2022 – Workshop (closed) – General discussion with CAO on operational philosophies
- November 28, 2022 – Council meeting – First look at 2023 Capital Budget
- December 5, 2022 – Governance and Priorities meeting – Presentation of the Utility Budget, new utility rates and new user fees
- December 12, 2022 – Council meeting (last scheduled meeting of 2022) – presentation of the Capital Budget and Utility Budget for adoption. Adoption of an interim (tax supported) budget to allow operations to continue in 2023
- December 19, 2022 – tentative special council meeting should it be necessary to call
- January – official adoption of 2023 Budget and 2024-2026 operating plan