Village of Warburg Council - December 13th, 2010

Sgt. M.L. (Marty) Hooper, Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge, RCMP, Thorsby/Breton Detachment, formally introduced himself to Council.  Sgt. Hooper has returned to his home province following 20 years of service on Vancouver Island. The merger of Thorsby and Breton detachments became effective April 1, 2010. Hooper, who will “answer to six different Mayors and Councils”, said, “I welcome any questions and look forward to working with you.” Adding another clerical position to free up an officer [at Thorsby] is still part of an ongoing discussion. However, Hooper said he doesn’t “foresee going into operational capacity as Acting Sgt. Angus did.” Hooper is not yet seeking funds; but said he would appreciate a letter of support from Council for the meeting with Leduc County.  Hooper mentioned both buildings [Thorsby and Breton] eventually will need to be replaced. “If the amalgamation sticks for ten years, we may centralize.”

Doug Vath discussed his vision of a 60-inch TV screen billboard to be placed on the property of 4904-50 Ave. for advertising and community announcements. The proposed development has the projection Billboard situated either on top of the building or in the West fence line.  Vath is also considering placing the screen inside the office building in the south-facing window and possibly the west-facing window.  Council wants assurance that it will not be a safety concern or excessively distracting to neighbours, and requested he to return to Council with the finalized development plan.

Bill Jewett met with Council requesting the fine be revoked for this first time dog by-law offense and a letter of apology be given for not following procedure in issuing the fine. According to CAO Pankewitz, Special Constable notified her that he could deliver the fine way he did. Council voted in camera to revoke the fine.  

Rodney Howard received approval from Council for placing 8’ X 19’ and 8’ X 8’ self-storage units [not sea can, shipping containers] at 5004-50 St. on the west side of the building. Howard assured Council that the fenced in  storage facility will not become an unsightly, overcrowded abandoned vehicle or boat/car storage facility, “There’s no room for that.”

52 Ave. will be completed (grant monies are already allotted for it). Paving will be extended into 46 St. and 45 St. to help correct storm water drainage issues. Select Engineering Consultants Ltd municipal Manager, Bob Hanewich notes, “The [subdivision] site was built with shallow ditches and little to no positive grade for drainage.  Water now accumulates at the intersections during wet weather and does not have a way to drain away.” Paving 51st Avenue will wait for now. CAO said, “Once the MSI (Municipal Sustainability Initiative) comes in, we will see if there is enough to do another.”   Mayor Kohl noted various roads in town have been prioritized for paving in the Village 5-Year Plan.  The Village 10-year plan outlines doing paving on Avenues first and Streets second.

Council will send a letter to Municipal Affairs stating the need to make adjustments to the Regional Assessment Review Board regulations following the changes that were made in 2010.  Specifically: 

- Front line staff needs training to ensure ratepayers are provided proper information on completing forms, information required and timelines.

- Assessors must provide comparable properties to the board so that market value may be determined.

-  LARB [Local Assessment Review Board] regulations are too onerous on the average citizen—i..e. how would the average citizen know the assessed value?

- There must be some flexibility in allowing appellants to bring forward relevant concerns at the hearing—even though it is not stated on the LARB form.

Council amended the proposed 2011 cost-sharing budget for Parks, Recreation and Cultural Service to reflect the $55,000 capital paving project.  A discussion ensued regarding the value of paving the parking lot in front of the Legion, Community Hall and Arena before paving roads. The Village cost-share portion of the estimated $250-300,000 project is 28% of $55,000 [or approx. $15,400]. Councillor Rapati stated, “Road or Parking Lot—when you’re using it, it makes a big difference.”  CAO Pankewitz noted mud is being tracked onto the recreational ice from the parking lot. Most noteworthy is the fact that a letter of Council support was sent with the parking lot paving grant application earlier this year. 

Council carried the motion to cost share the Village portion (25%) of the Senior’s Van with Leduc County.

The 2011 Warburg and District Fire Department Budget has been reviewed and approved.

Council voted 3 to 2 to oppose signing the Municipal Mutual Aid Services Agreement with the Capital Region Emergency Preparedness Partnership (C-REPP).  However, Council is requesting a meeting with Ken Jones  (C-REPP Chair with Synergy Alberta, the group responsible for the Municipal Mutual Aid Services Agreement) to go over questions and concerns they have. As of this Council meeting, 4 out of 24 municipalities have not signed the agreement.