Council Highlights - May 17, 2016

Citizens' Minute with Council

Residents are welcome to speak to Council about issues, events, celebrations or concerns during Minute with Council. At the beginning of each regular Council Meeting, Mayor Mackin opens the floor to the public to speak and share with Council members, administration and meeting observers.

Ecole Mountain View School's Dumpster Divers Club attended to present to Council on improving the recycling receptacles in Town. They proposed that the Town of Hinton order and install bins that provide a place for bottles/cans, plastics and paper to be recycled. They invited Council to visit their school to see the solutions they have implemented to reduce waste. They are looking to help Hinton be "part of the solution, not part of the pollution!"

Brent Thachuck spoke on behalf of himself and others in his neighbourhood of Forest Heights to the Proposed Land Use Bylaw Amendment coming to Council later in the meeting. He asked that the Town meet with the business owners looking to purchase the reserve space adjacent to their neighbourhood and residents to discuss their needs prior to moving forward.

Delegations

Hinton Municipal Library Board
Hank Smit and Tara Million presented to Town Council, bringing them up to date on the library plan of service for 2016-2019. The three objectives for the next four years were determined through citizen input, and the current goals reflect priorities laid out for libraries across the province. All residents are invited to come to the Hinton Municipal Library to find out more.

STARS Air Ambulance
Glenda Farnden presented an annual update to town council, for the air ambulance service, which averages 5 missions per day in Alberta. They are a non-profit charitable organization, serving 98% of Alberta's population. After confirming that The Town has budgeted continuing support of the service, Council voted to direct administration to explore the possibility of a helipad at the Hinton Hospital.

Action Items

Proposed Municipal Reserve Disposal

Council voted to refer this item to the next Regular Council meeting to allow time for informal discussion to occur between the commercial business owner and residents of Forest Heights.

Council then voted to amend the agenda to remove the second action item (Municipal Development Plan #940-11 and Land Use Bylaw Amendment #960-54). This was a procedural requirement to support Action item 1.

Motion Amendment Regarding Community Grant Program Funding
Council voted to amend motion #2 adopted during the April 19, 2016 Council Meeting, removing the stipulation that Wild Mountain Music Festival sell a previously used tent, before splitting the shortfall of a cost of a new tent. This allowance is in line with the one year time frame that grant recipients are given for use of the grant funding they have received.

Policy #082 Soccer Fees
Council voted that fees under the "Park Facilities & Spaces User Fee Policy #082" be applied on a proportional facility-use basis.

Third Reading of 2016 Supplementary Property Tax Bylaw #1103
Third reading was given to Bylaw #1103, which admin had previously brought before council on May 3rd for first and second reading.

Request to Cancel Property Tax Penalties - 828 Carmichael Lane
The request was declined, after Councilors ensured that this decision did not keep the property owners from attaining a payment plan or similar support through existing channels.

Information on By-Election for Vacant Councillor Position
Council voted to hold a by-election July 18, 2016, for the vacated position on council. This comes well before the latest possible date, August 8th. Nomination deadline for the election will be June 20th, and anticipated costs for the by-election will total 8,000 dollars.

Information Items

Mayor Mackin

The Mayor proclaimed June 6-12 as seniors week, recognizing the historic and current impact seniors make on our community. He urged locals to find out more about the week, and to get out and say thanks for all the work our local seniors do.

The Mayor also made a motion to direct $3,000 from the Council Contingency Fund in support of a fundraising event being planned for the Hinton Centre in support of the Fort McMurray fire relief efforts.

Town of Hinton Newsflash

Construction on Highway 16 will be halted for the long weekend, as an effort to keep from interrupting high traffic numbers over the weekend. As well, the associated construction company has confirmed they are on schedule to complete work late this June.

Hinton Fire Rescue Department is currently planning a Spaghetti Dinner for former residents of Fort McMurray so they may meet each other and socialize in a relaxed setting. More details are to come.

The Town Manager reported that though it may seem there is more aggregate on local roads as crack sealing work continues, the Infrastructure Department reports they are not using more, though they are using a different grade of aggregate and are doing more work than usual. A sweeper is currently tasked with cleaning up the aggregate following the necessary wait period to ensure repairs are complete.

You can view the entire agenda package here.

Just a reminder, the next Council meeting will be held May 24 in The Committee Room at 4:00 pm.