Town of Taber council briefs from April 8

By Cal Braid
Taber Times
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

On April 8, Town council reviewed and discussed some lingering and new matters.

An amended budget

An amended capital budget was attached to the agenda for council’s consideration. The Local Government Fiscal Framework (LGFF) – formerly MSI – allocation was increased from $851,000 to $1,233,406 for an additional $382,406. The administration presented the update which now includes the following new allocations:

-A new proposed project – Aquafun secondary disinfectant system $100,000

-An increased budget for the Asphalt Milling & Overlay Project by $100,000

-An increased budget for the Surface Works Project by $100,000

-A change in funding for the Rescue Pumper $82,406 (which reduces the amount from reserves).

An important reminder

Buried deep in the meeting’s 130-page agenda was a reminder about the strict protocol that council members are to abide by. It was entitled: Standing Items – Council Requests. The administration included it with a recommendation that council use the standing agenda item opportunity to provide policy or direction to the administration. It said: “The Municipal Government Act only allows mayor and council to act by resolution or bylaw, not separately through individual direction to administration. If one member wishes to see action on a certain item that requires the deployment or diversion of municipal resources, that does not mean all or even a majority of the other six members want Town resources used in that manner. Also, it is likely that all of council and the public want to know about issues of concern and interest in Taber, so this conversation should be shared for better governance. To assist in this information sharing and ensure agreement on the relative importance of activities, and to facilitate a common understanding, council established a standing item on council agendas that would allow the mayor and councillors to raise issues of individual concern. This allows discussion amongst council and with administration on how best to deal with these concerns. It is an opportunity for council to provide suggestions or direction to administration as to how best to proceed. The intention of this RFD is for policy or governance items to be brought forward from the floor at the meeting.

Land use change approved

The administration asked for approval on the second and third readings of Bylaw 5-2024 in which a developer requested to amend the Land Use District for a parcel from Residential Single Dwelling District (R-1) to Residential Single and Two Dwelling District (R-2). The civic address is 5613 42 Ave. Lot 23, Block 1. The proposed amendments were reviewed and recommended for adoption by the Municipal Planning Commission (MPC) at their regular meeting on March 18, 2024. From March 27 to April 3, the Town placed an ad in the Taber Times to advise the public about the proposed amendment and public hearing scheduled for April 8. The proposal was initiated by the developer, who is requesting a change in district to better accommodate development on this specific property. Mayor Prokop opened the floor to the public for the hearing, and the administration noted that no written or verbal objections had been filed after the ad period. Council approved the second and third readings.

Arts and Heritage Committee changes

The administration brought forward an Arts and Heritage Committee Bylaw 7-2024 recommendation that council give first, second, and third readings to the bylaw. By way of background, at the Oct. 17, 2023 Arts & Heritage Committee Meeting, members discussed the frequency of meetings for the committee. The agenda explained, “It was suggested that meeting quarterly would make for quality content and give administration more planning time. It was also discussed that the committee always has the ability to call extra meetings, when time requires.” Other proposed changes included: deleting a section because it spoke to the Arts, Culture, and Event Coordinator which is no longer a position, and amending an article to state “no less than four regular meetings each year,” including the months meetings will be held.

The changes align with the strategic plan to develop and promote Taber’s local arts community via a committee composed of Town officials, staff, and the public. The changes should require the same preparation time, but will result in less meetings annually for staff and committee members.