Council Highlights - July 17, 2018

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 Michaels opens the floor to the public to speak and share with Council members, administration and meeting observers.

Delegations

Presentations are required to be arranged through the Executive Assistant, so that presenters can be sure time is set aside for their presentations on the Council agenda. Find out more about how to be a delegation by following this link.

1. Hinton Art Club - Presented by Sheila Mckeand
View the entire presentation in the agenda package, available here.

2. Regional Elder Abuse Prevention Program Update - Presented by Charlene Sitar
View the entire presentation in the agenda package, available here.

Public Hearings

In some instances, Council is required to conduct public hearings regarding land use bylaws, rezoning, etc., or on any other matter council deems appropriate.

There were no public hearings.

Action Items

1. Request to write-off property taxes on manufactured home - Presented by Denise Parent
The Town of Hinton levies property taxes on designated manufactured homes located in mobile home parks. The homes are located on parcels of land that are not owned by the owners of the manufactured homes, as such, the outstanding property taxes cannot be registered with Alberta Land Titles. The owners of the manufactured home located at 408, 700 Carmichael Lane have not paid their property taxes since 2009. A lien has been registered on the manufactured home due to unpaid property taxes. The owners of Pineridge Village desire to have the manufactured home declared abandoned and proceed to destroy the unit as long as they do not have to pay the outstanding taxes. It was moved that Council approve the write-off of property taxes for a total $12,948.99 for a manufactured home to be demolished at 408, 700 Carmichael Lane located in Pineridge Village. This motion carried.

2. Water Treatment Plant – Transition Capital Budget Update - Presented by Gordie Lee

This item is before Council to provide an update on the WTP Transition Budget. At the June 20, 2018 Standing Committee (In-Camera) session, Council was presented a report by Administration and ISL Engineering Land Services which gave a status update on the WTP transition, legal obligations and status of agreements between West Fraser and the Town of Hinton, Regulatory Approvals, Phase 1 - Implementation and Phase 2 – Bypass Options. The report stated, “that due to various factors the budget for the WTP transition project will be over budget and will require up to $1,000,000 to support the Implementation of Phase 1 and continue to move forward with Phase 2. The $1,000,000 request will support legal fees, surcharges, various equipment upgrades to address safety issues and the Phase 2. The costs to date and the additional Budget request are as a result of legal obligations and/or regulatory requirements as they pertain to safety. It was moved that Council approves a 2018 Capital Budget increase of $1,000,000 to the Water Treatment Plant Transition Project Budget to be funded from the Water Treatment Plant Reserve. This motion carried.

3. First Reading for Land Use Bylaw No. 1088-6 Development Regulations for Cannabis Retail - Presented by Lorraine Walker

Land Use Bylaw No. 1088 (LUB) was adopted by Council in September 2016. The redevelopment of the Land Use Bylaw was intended to support growth and development in our community and to support the alignment of the redeveloped Area Structure Plans (East and West) along with the Municipal Development Plan. Proposed amendments to LUB No. 1088-6 is for the purpose of regulating land use and development for Cannabis Retail as prescribed by the proposed Alberta’s Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Regulation. It was moved that Council give Land Use Bylaw No.1088-6 First Reading as presented and appended to this report as Schedule A. This motion carried.

4. Review of Council Code of Conduct and Chief Administrative Officer Bylaws - Presented by Jenna Altrogge
This item is before Council due to legislative changes that now require the implementation of a Council Code of Conduct Bylaw. Administration developed this bylaw and concurrently reviewed the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Bylaw to ensure consistency and thoroughness (proposed bylaws are Attachments #1 and #2, respectively; former Bylaw #916-1 is Attachment 3). Council gave second and third reading to Bylaw #1124 and #916-2, and then rescinded Council Members & Town Manager Conduct, Standards, and Responsibilities Policy #089. This motion carried.

5. Regional Assessment Review Board Bylaw #1123 - Presented by Jenna Altrogge
This item is before Council due to legislative changes to the Municipal Government Act, RSA 2000, Chapter M-26 affecting the establishment of regional Assessment Review Boards. The revised Regional Assessment Review Board Bylaw #1123 (Attachment #1) has been developed to ensure compliance with legislative changes, and to ensure that the regional board operates effectively; it is in the process of being reviewed by the Councils of Edson, Grande Cache, and Jasper. With the implementation of this new bylaw, the current Bylaw and Agreement (Attachments #1 and #2 respectively) will need to be rescinded.

Council made the following motions:

That Council gives Third reading to Bylaw #1123
That Council rescinds Inter-Municipal Assessment Review Board Bylaw #1115
That Council rescinds the Inter-Municipal Assessment Review Board Agreement
That Council appoint Nigel Knight to the LARBs and CARBs established under the West Yellowhead Regional Assessment Review Board for a two-year term starting July 1, 2018.
That Council appoint Doug Kopp to the LARBs and CARBs established under the West Yellowhead Regional Assessment Review Board for a two-year term starting July 1, 2018. That Council appoints Nigel Knight as the Designated Chair for the West Yellowhead Regional Assessment Review Board for a one-year term starting July 1, 2018. The remuneration and expenses related to the duties of the Designated Chair will follow the Town of Hinton Council Remuneration Policy #052.
That Council appoints Jenna Altrogge as the Designated Clerk for the West Yellowhead Regional Assessment Review Board for a one-year term starting July 1, 2018

All of the above motions carried.

6. Terms of Reference, Recreation Centre Project Steering Committee - Presented by Hans van Klavern
The Recreation Centre Project Steering Committee (RCPSC) has been established for the purpose of making recommendations to Council on the Recreation Centre implementation plan. The adoption of the Terms of Reference will allow the Committee to commence their review process. It was moved that Council adopt the Recreation Centre Project Steering Committee Terms of Reference as presented in Attachment #1. This motion carried.

Administrative Inquiries

If Councillors have queries they would like to submit to admin, this will be the time at which they do. This is in accordance with Council's procedural bylaw.

There were no inquiries

Notice of Motion

If Councillors have motions they wish to lodge, this will be the time at which they do. This is in accordance with Council's procedural bylaw.

There were no motions

Information Items

Councillor Trevor Haas: Councillor Haas informed Council that the Hinton Municipal Library continues to hold programming throughout the summer months for patrons of all ages, and invited the general public to visit and learn more.

Councillor Tyler Waugh: Councillor Waugh spoke to recent CEAC meetings, saying that they are working on terms of reference and that the "very engaged group" will have something to bring back to Council soon. He then informed Council that the CFWY investment committee continues to meet and evaluate opportunities over the summer months. Finally, Waugh extended his thanks to Town of Hinton staff who worked to keep the community informed during the Quiggley Creek Wildfire.

Councillor Albert Ostashek: Councillor Ostashek spoke to his involvement in the Canada Day Parade hosted by the Hinton Chamber of Commerce. He then went on to speak to the Fohn Fest, saying it was once again a well attended event, and to a coming HREDC meeting at the end of this month. He concluded by reminding the public of the #HintonFirst Public Markets, and to encourage individuals to use #HintonFirst when sharing images of the community on social media.

Councillor Joann(Jo) Race: Councillor Race spoke to her recent attendance at an ASH meeting, saying that user groups have booked the facility through the end of 2018. Race concluded by extending an invitation to Council and Interim CAO Koziol for the coming PATH 1 year celebration.

Mayor Marcel Michaels: Mayor Michaels spoke to his previous announcement re: Evergreens Facility progress, saying things are moving forward as expected with a larger announcement expected in the coming months. He also reminded Council about providing input on the CEAC terms of reference, and concluded by speaking to last weeks announcement regarding the Appointment of Interim CAO Mike Koziol.

Interim CAO Mike Koziol: Interim CAO Koziol provided a quick update after his 4 days on staff. He informed Council that he has seen the biggest hurdle to be communications from administration to staff, which he believes to be manageable. He stated that he believes there is a good combination of Mayor, Council, and competent and dedicated staff. Finally, he informed Council that he will provide a further update and plan at the August 28 Regular Council Meeting.

In Camera

In-camera is a legal term meaning “in private.” When a council goes in-camera, it means the Council meeting is closed to the public. In general terms, the exceptions include matters where disclosures could be harmful to personal privacy, individual or public safety, law enforcement, intergovernmental relations, or economic or other interests; reveal confidential evaluations, local public body confidence, or advice from officials; or disclose information that is subject to legal privilege.

Following returning from In Camera, Council made the following motions:

1. Personnel Matter - Executive Search for Permanent CAO (Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, RSA 2000, Chapter F-25, Sections 23 & 24)

That Council direct Administration to extricate the Town of Hinton from the current CAO recruitment contract and pursue entering into a contract with another recruitment firm for the CAO position. This motion carried.

Town of Hinton Newsflash

Council Video Recordings

As some residents may have noticed, we have recently experienced difficulties with our streaming video provider online. The service provider has changed the accepted methods of posting, which has made all older videos in the inventory non-functioning. These non-functioning videos will removed from the inventory for the time being, however, administration is investigating ways of making a larger library available for residents to access online. In the interim, a new format has been selected, and new recordings are being posted as before; however, the new format is slightly larger, and so less videos will be accessible online than in years past. Recordings of the videos are also available on DVDs at the Hinton Municipal Library, which can be checked out and viewed on either computers or DVD players, or by contacting the Town of Hinton should those DVD recordings not be available.

The Town of Hinton is on Facebook!

As over to 1500 people have already figured out - The Town of Hinton now has a corporate Facebook page! This new tool adds another resource to the communications toolbelt, and will house information on many different areas; some days, you’ll see information on bylaws, others recreation programs, others information about council decisions or highlights from Council meetings. We will, however, endeavour to ensure that we are sharing content relevant to the widest possible audience. Like us today by clicking here!

You can view the entire agenda package here.

The next Council meeting will be held August 21, 2018, at 4pm
in the the Committee Room.