Council Highlights - August 16, 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.

Joan Janeczko
Joan and her family are moving from Hinton, but thanked Council for their support over their years in the community. She expressed to Council her hopes that they
will continue to fight for inclusion. As well, in a sentimental moment, she returned a colouring book which she received when she first moved to Hinton 25 years ago. The colouring book will be provided to the Northern Rockies Museum of Culture & Heritage for posterity. Council thanked Joan for all she has done for the work she has done for the community and wished her all the best in future endeavours.

Delegations

Dr. Jonathan Banks
At the Regular Council Meeting on August 18, 2015 Hinton Town Council passed the following resolution:

Council approves commissioning the study (to determine the volume of energy available through geo-thermal energy) in partnership with the University of Alberta and Alberta Innovates and other participating municipalities for a cost of approximately $20,000 to $25,000. Funding to commission this study will be absorbed by the Council Contingency.

Dr Banks spoke to council to bring them up to date on the project, which is to last one year, with final report findings to be presented in February of 2017. Dr. Banks has provided a report containing details of findings thus far, available in the agenda package for this meeting.

Action Items

Deep Dive Analysis of Geothermal Reservoirs for Commercial Development
Continuing on the information provided during his delegation, Dr Banks spoke to Council detailing some of the applications of the information gathered during the study. Council voted to accept Dr. Banks' report for information and to bring the matter back for discussion of schematic and costing information for Town buildings and other potential opportunities at a future Standing Committee meeting.

Error on Tax Rate Bylaw #1102
During the January 12, 2016, Standing Committee meeting, there was consensus by Council to direct Administration to apply the Evergreens Capital Requisition to a maximum of $300,000 per year. The total Capital Requisition for 2016 was $496,162.56.
When the tax rate bylaw was passed at Regular Council on May 3, 2016, an error was made by Administration and as a result the full amount of the Evergreens Requisition, amounting to an Operations Requisition of $218,879.04 and the Capital Requisition of $496,162.56, for a total of $715,041.60 was included in the bylaw.

For example, a property assessed at $299,900.00 would have paid $84.72 towards the capped $300,000 Capital Requisition in 2016. As a result of the entire $496,162.56 Capital Requisition being collected in 2016 this property owner will now be required to pay $116.78, a difference of $32.06 in 2016. It is important to note, and is by no means rationale for this error, that regardless of the amount collected in any given year the entire amount of the Capital requisition must be collected eventually. This is not extra
money being collected from the taxpayer - it is money that would have been collected in a future year. Administration apologized to Council and to our taxpayers for our error. We will add a subsequent check and balance on Bylaw changes to ensure that this type of error does not occur in the future.

Land Use Bylaw #1088
Returning to council with stakeholder feedback and suggestions incorporated into the new version, Council gave second, third and final reading to Land Use Bylaw #1088. Click here for the media release on the bylaw.

Planning and Development Fees and Charges Bylaw #1104
This change amalgamated all fees and charges in the new LUB into one document. Council gave second, third and final reading to bylaw #1104. This does not amount to increases to development fees or charges.

Accounts Receivable Collection and Write-off Policy
Council voted to approve the new policy, which will help to ensure that administration can deal with accounts that are returned from the Collections Agency as uncollectable for a variety of reasons, or accounts that we have not been able to collect and are too small in amounts to send to the outside agency for collections. These accounts sit on the books for the Town and inflate our accounts receivable and then inflate the allowance for Bad Debt Account. This Policy will give administration direction on how to proceed in the future when these occurrences happen.

Reports from Mayor, Council, Town Manager

Council voted to proclaim September Prostate Cancer Awareness month.

Council voted to proclaim September Muscular Dystrophy month.

Council directed administration to provide Council with information with respect to the
possibility of a student and seniors' transit pass.

As shown in the most recent information package, the Town of Hinton's proposal to co-host the 2017 Grey Matters Conference has been accepted by the province. The conference brings a large number of senior services and housing related groups, not to mention speakers, into the region.

Town of Hinton Newsflash

The Hinton Recreation Centre Pool will be closed starting September 5 through October 2 inclusively. The Jasper, Edson and Grande Cache pool facilities have agreed to allow Town of Hinton pass holders to use their facilities free of charge, although passes must be brought along in order to be admitted. Jasper has also once again offered to allow any patrons wishing to attend their Monday Wednesday Friday Aqua Fitness classes to do so by bringing their pass and then paying an additional $2.43. Find more information on the Rec Centre website.

Representatives from Ipsos will be calling residents on behalf of the Town starting September 12 to conduct a Citizen Satisfaction Survey. We are looking to gather information on how Hinton residents feel about the programs and services provided by the Town of Hinton. The survey will run roughly 10 – 15 minutes and results will provide information for Council and administration in future planning and decision-making. For more information, call 780 865 6001 or email info@hinton.ca.

Staff members who normally operate out of The Guild are going to be in new temporary locations as work on the Hinton PAV gets underway. Find more information on all of their new locations by reading the post on our website, available here.

The Town of Hinton is a scent free building. When attending Council Meetings or visiting facilities, please be considerate of staff and ensure you are not wearing strongly scented deodorants or antiperspirants, colognes or perfumes, or scented hair products.

You can view the entire agenda package here.

As a reminder, the next Regular Council Meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 13, 2016.