Taber town council July 17 briefs

The following are selected briefs of the July 17 meeting of Taber town council. Coun. Joanne Sorensen participated in the meeting via teleconference call, and Coun. Jack Brewin was absent.

June 26 Closed Session

The following resolutions were passed at the conclusion of the in camera (closed session) portion of the meeting.

Library Board Appointment: Council voted unanimously to appoint Bethany Mitchell to the Taber Municipal Library Board for a term to expire Dec. 31, 2025.

Lease Renewal: Council voted unanimously to authorize a lease renewal of the property located in the main lobby of the Large Ice Arena, located within the Taber Community Centre (4720 50 Street) to Rick Zalesak and Ben Finlayson, for a five-year term to expire March 31, 2028; and directed Mayor Andrew Prokop and CAO Derrin Thibault sign the lease renewal documents.

Downtown Business Signs: Council voted unanimously to authorize administration to manage the ongoing leases for the Highway 3 Downtown Business Signs and directed Mayor Andrew Prokop and CAO Derrin Thibault to sign the lease agreement documents.

Land Sale: Council voted unanimously to authorize the sale of a property owned jointly between Douglas J. Bergen and Associates Ltd. and the Town of Taber (located at 4925 72 Avenue) in The Meadows development for $255,000, and authorized Mayor Andrew Prokop and CAO Derrin Thibault to sign the sale agreements on behalf of the Town of Taber.

July 6 Special Meeting – Municipal By-Election

Municipal By-Election 2023 Budget Requirements: Council voted unanimously to authorize up to $35,000 for the conduct of the municipal by-election in 2023, to be allocated from operating reserves. The by-election, precipitated by the recent resignation of Coun. Alf Rudd, will take place on Sept. 7, 2023. 

Nomination day is Aug. 10.

Appointment of Deputy Mayor

Council voted unanimously to appoint Coun. Garth Bekkering as Deputy Mayor to serve July 17 – June 30, 2024.

Quarterly AAIP Immigration Program Update

“As of July 4, we have 79 approved candidates with the AAIP program,” reads a statement included as part of council’s agenda package. “This totals 171 people including their families. Out of these 79 candidates, 24 of them have received their provincial nomination status, this means they have passed the provincial steps, and can apply for permanent residency. We have 34 businesses with active candidates, with new employers inquiring every week. This last month, Lethbridge County joined our program on a trial basis as well. They are excited to partner on this project and hope that some of their bigger employers will take advantage of the program. Of the 79 candidates, 67 have job positions in Taber, 1 in the MD, 2 in Vauxhall, 1 in Picture Butte and just recently 8 candidates in Coaldale. We have hired Rylan Howard, through the SILP Grant funding, to be an Economic Development Assistant, he is working primarily on helping employers and community engagement.”