County of St. Paul No 19

Council Meeting

AGENDA

Meeting #:
Date:
Time:
-
Location:
5015- 49 Avenue, St. Paul, AB T0A 3A4

Kimberly and Ryan Christensen will be in to speak with Council about the Noise Bylaw and Land Use Bylaw.  Their request to attend the Council meeting is attached.

 

At the October Meeting, Council gave first reading to Bylaw No. 2014-32, which is a bylaw to amend Bylaw No. 2013-50 as it relates to rezoning 18.31 acres in PSW 34-57-9-W4 from Agricultural to Country Residential One (CR1).

 

RSVPs were sent out for a public consultation to be held on February 17, 2015.  One person replied that she would attend the public consultation, however she did not show up.  No one attended the public consultation.

 

Bylaw No. 2014-32 was advertised in the St. Paul Journal the weeks of February 24 and March 3, 2015 and the adjacent landowners were notified via letter post.

 

Krystle Fedoretz will attend this Public Hearing.

Kirk Reid and Daniel Reid will be in to give a presentation on the current status of the St. Paul Skatepark initiative and inform Council of the next steps they have planned for the skatepark.

The 2015 PVMA  Spring Conference (previously known as the IVMAA) will be held March 24-26, 2015 in Edmonton.  Registration for the conference is $475 per person.

 

More information is available at: http://www.ivmaa.com/

The 15th Annual Municipal Administration Leadership Workshop, hosted by the Society of Local Government Managers, will be held May 12-15, 2015 in Kananaskis.  This will be a good opportunity for the new intern along with another staff member to attend.  Registration for the Conference is $549.

The Alberta Fire Chiefs Association 2015 Conference and Trade Show will be held May 25-27, 2015 in Red Deer.  Councillor D. Dach has expressed interest in attending this conference as it relates to the fire committees he sits on.  Registration for the conference is $550.

 

More information is available at:  http://www.afca.ab.ca.

The Government Finance Officers' Association Conference will be held May 24-27 in Edmonton.  Registration for the Conference is $475.  This conference is not included in Policy PER-8 for the Assistant CAO, therefore it requires Council approval.

 

Additional information can be viewed on the website at https://www.gfoa.ab.ca/events.

The 44th Annual Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators (CAMA) Conference will be held June 1-3, 2015 in Jasper.  This conference rotates across Canada the same as the FCM Conference.  This year the CAMA Conference is in Jasper, Alberta and CAO Sheila Kitz is requesting Council's approval to attend.   Registration for the Conference is $525 for members who are attending for the first time and the membership fee is $465.  Registration for non-members is $875.

 

More information about CAMA can be viewed at http://www.camacam.ca

The following land leases are being presented for renewal for the year 2015:

SW 16-58-5-W4Glen Ockerman
W 1/2 NE 24-60-10-W4Phil Amyotte
NE 33-62-10-W4Mardell Thompson & Michael Thompson
NE 34-62-10-W4Mardell Thompson & Michael Thompson
NW 34-62-10-W4Mardell Thompson & Michael Thompson

Section 61 of the M.G.A. allows a municipality to grant rights with respect to its property.

Policy HR-2 is being presented to Council, as amended, to update which staff members hold management and supervisory roles.

This Policy was brought before the Policy Committee on February 18, 2015.

Policy ADM-6 is being presented to Council as amended, to establish procedures for the use of County-funded cellular phones used for work purposes.

This Policy was brought before the Policy Committee on February 18, 2015.

Policy HR-30 is being presented, as amended, to Council to update the holiday benefits provided to employees annually.

The Policy was brought before the Policy Committee on February 18, 2015.

Policy ADM-51 is being presented, as amended, to clarify the eligibility rules for County grant funding requests.

This Policy was brought before the Policy Committee on February 18, 2015.

Policy ASB-89 is being presented to Council for rescission. This Policy was originally passed as a temporary response to managing beaver issues. Since this time, the County has passed two policies related to beaver control on public land and beaver control on private land. As a result, administration feels that this policy specifying a particular location is unnecessary and wishes to ensure consistency in our approach to beaver issues.

This Policy was brought before the Policy Committee on February 18, 2015.

Policy PW-100 is being presented to Council, as amended, to establish procedures for the provision of a mechanics' allowance.

This Policy was brought before the Policy Committee on February 18, 2015.

Policy ADM-105 is being presented to Council to establish procedures for employees to notify senior management of their intentions to retire allowing senior management to have ample time to develop strategies to fill key positions.

This Policy was brought before the Policy Committee on February 18, 2015.

Policy ASB-106 is being presented to Council to establish procedures for the County's Do Not Spray Program.

The Policy was brought before the Policy Committee on February 18, 2015.

Policy ADM-107 is being presented to Council to establish guidelines for when a cancellation of penalties or interest can be approved by administration and when Council approval is required.

This Policy was brought before the Policy Committee on February 18, 2015.

Bylaw 2015-03 is being presented to Council to establish standards for noise control in the County of St. Paul No. 19.

Following a noise complaint at the November Council meeting, Council instructed administration to review the current Noise Bylaw.

This Bylaw was brought before the Policy Committee on February 18, 2015.

At the January meeting, Council defeated Bylaw No. 2014-40 which was an amendment to Land Use Bylaw 2013-50 as Council was concerned with how restricting the amendment to Part 7 was and wanted the opportunity to revisit it.  Administration reviewed the proposed amendment to Part 7 and decided to leave the wording the way it currently is in the Land Use Bylaw, which states that storage tanks for Combustive/Flammable Liquids over 230 litres in size must be placed underground in the Country Residential and General Urban Districts if the proposed tank is to be located close to residential uses.  Anyone applying for a storage tank over 230 litres will be required to conform to guidelines prescribed by the Petroleum Tank Management Association of Alberta.         

 

Section 1.3 - Definitions and Section 8.4(1)(e)(iii) were not part of the amendment previously presented to Council.

 

The proposed amendments to the Land Use Bylaw are as follows:

Part 1- Introductions

Section 1.3 Definitions

(87)     “park model” means a recreational vehicle conforming to CAN-CSA Series Z241.

(95)     "recreation vehicle" means a vehicular type unit primarily designed as temporary living quarters for recreational camping or travel use, which either has its own means of transportation or is mounted or drawn by another vehicle. The base entities are travel trailer, camping trailer, truck camper, fifth wheel, park model and motor home.

 

Part 2 – General Administrative Procedures

Section 2.3 – Development Not Requiring a Development Permit

(16)  Temporary accessory buildings may be exempted from regulations specified in this Land Use Bylaw at the sole discretion of the Development Authority.

 

Part 5 – Bylaw Amendment Process

Section 5.1 – Application for Amendment

(7)  When an application for amendment has been defeated by Council, re-application shall not occur for that parcel of land for at least 6 months. Council may waive this waiting period by resolution.

 

Part 7 – Land Use Provisions

Section 7.30 - SEWAGE HOLDING TANKS

  1. On all parcels fronting onto named lakes, only self-contained sewage systems will be permitted to be installed or replaced. Self-contained Sewage Systems include, connection to a municipal system, municipal/private co-op systems and private sewage holding tanks that are constructed of reinforced pre-cast concrete and meet applicable/relevant CAN/CSA standards, but do not include non-concrete self contained sewage holding tanks, disposal fields, treatment mounds, pit privies, or any other approved system for the disposal of sewage or waste water on a parcel of land which results in the disposal of sewage and/or waste water into the ground.

 

Part 8 – Land Use Districts – Uses and Regulations

Section 8.2 – Agriculture (A) District

  1. – Discretionary Uses:

              u. Stockpiling of Aggregate for Sale

Section 8.4 – Country Residential One

  1. – Regulations:

              e. Recreational Vehicles

              iii.  If a recreational vehicle is developed so as to become a part of a building, such as by the removal of its wheels or the addition of a building or structure onto it which encloses or immobilizes the recreational vehicle, the recreational vehicle will then be regarded as dwelling unit.

 

Section 8.7 – Industrial/Commercial (IC) District

(3) – Discretionary Uses:

      s. Stockpiling of Aggregate for Sale

Proposed amendments to the Municipal Development Plan are outlined in red.  These amendments are clean-up as the Municipal Development Pan and the Land Use Bylaw were conflicting.  Some information was included in both bylaws but should only have been in the Land Use Bylaw, so it is being removed from the MDP.  Other information should have been included in the MDP as well and the LUB in order to align with the Municipal Government Act, but it was not.

Further to the presentation by a delegation at the January meeting regarding land use under the General Urban District, the proposed amendment to Land Use Bylaw No. 2013-50 is being presented to Council for consideration:

8.3  General Urban (U) District

Insert:

(4) c.  Notwithstanding the above in Section 8.3

i)  Lot 12, Block 1, Plan 7820473 contained within NE 33-58-11-W4, one (1) recreational vehicle shall be permitted on the property as the sole use of the property until December 31, 2018.

 

After first reading the Bylaw must be advertised according to section 606 of the M.G.A. and a public hearing held according to section 230 of the M.G.A.  The adjacent landowners will also be notified.

The Mutual Fire Aid Agreement with Lac La Biche County has expired.  Attached is a new agreement which has already been approved by Lac La Biche County Council.

The first Action under Goal 1 - Governance of the Strategic Plan is "Host an Annual Meeting - move the annual meeting around the County - 2015 in Mallaig".  Council to decide on a date to hold the Annual Meeting.

 

Administration is suggesting that we hold the AGM in the Fire Hall in Mallaig.

The County has been given until July 31, 2015 to move the Explosives Magazine out of the locked compound in the Public Works Shop to an open area away from buildings/residences etc.  Staff is concerned that by moving the Magazine outside of the compound, it will not be as secure and more easily accessible by the general public.  Administration has been in contact with MP Brian Storseth about the legislation and he feels there may be changes coming to the legislation and that the County should ask for an extension to move the Magazine.

 

Administration has drafted a letter to the Explosives Inspector requesting a one-year time extension to move the Explosives Magazine to July 31, 2016. 

Rob Duffy has advised that CommAlert can be tied in Accurate Assessment so they can use the GIS and CommAlert Mass Notification.  This is the first time this will be done, so we will be a trial group to see how this would work. We had talked about entering into a three year contract with CommAlert, but because we will be a trial group, we are only looking for a one  year contract.

 

The new quote for the a one-year agreement is $11,157 and it’s based on 15,000 people. If after the one year we have a smooth running system we can look at a longer term contract at that time.

 

This is what the breakdown would look like from each community based on a per-capita for the year:

  • Town of St. Paul - $ 4800
  • County of St. Paul - $ 4910
  • Town of Elk Point - $ 1230
  • SV of Horseshoe Bay - $ 225

 

As discussed at the Committee meeting and also the Strategic Planning Meetings regarding the overall uses of the system, the different applications it can be used for has not changed. It can still be used to send emergency notifications; garbage day changes; road closures; office hour changes; etc.

Dennis Bergheim met with representatives of the St. Paul Ag Society and Ian Fox to discuss an Emergency Livestock Trailer.  The St. Paul Ag Society supports the concept of the County proceeding with purchasing the unit. We would look at applying for a grant(s) with supporting interest or partnering with the local Ag Society.  We would also require an agreement between the County & Ag Society which would include operation guidelines, responding to livestock incidents, compensation for expenses, training and as well liability.

At the February Public Works Meeting Council discussed the 2015 Road Construction projects.  There was discussion on whether or not to proceed with the construction of Range Road 104, as the County already went to a hearing on this road and another appeal has been filed against the construction of the road.  They County has spent $53,122 so far on the road, $17,380 was on legal fees for the first appeal.  Administration has re-submitted application for a permit to cross the wetland in the summer of 2014.  Alberta Environment has indicated that following the required advertising of the request for the permit, four people have sent in letters opposing the proposed road construction.  Alberta Environment has indicated that some of the arguments against the permit are valid and they may have reason not to issue a permit, or to change the project to address their concerns.  Irregardless the engineering for the road based on construction within the 66 foot road allowance only allows for a 40 km/hr speed and a narrow width.

Administration is proposing that Council consider changing their road plan from the construction of a new road on Range Road 104 through the wetland to include the upgrading of the intersection coming into Owlseye (Twp 591 & Twp 590) and the road through Owlseye (Twp 591).  This upgrade to be done at the same time as the upgrade of the intersection of Range Road 103 and the Correction Line.  This intersection upgrade on Range Road 103 would include cutting down a hill east of Owlseye on the Correction Road and North on Range Road 103 in order to improve sight lines for traffic coming through Owlseye.

Administration will provide a map for Council to review at the Council Meeting.

On February 26, 2015, Alberta Municipal Affairs released eligibility and application details for the Small Communities Fund Component (SCF) of the New Building Canada Fund. SCF funding is open to municipalities with a population below 100,000. Alberta has received $94.2 million of SCF funding. The funding is awarded to municipalities on a competitive basis and requires municipalities to submit a project application.

The Ashmont Lagoon Upgrade would qualify as an eligible project. The proposed project would see a facultative lagoon expansion at the current Ashmont Lagoon. These upgrades would increase capacity to accommodate a twenty year time horizon, enhance effluent treatment processes, and mitigate environmental risks during discharges as well as comply with environmental standard for release of water from the lagoon.

Projects are reviewed and ranked using a list of criteria. A maximum score is 100. An important criterion is whether or not the project is a partnership between two municipalities. With no partnership, projects receive 0 points. With a partnership, municipalities can score up to 15 points.  In an effort to maximize the County's potential to receive funding, administration is exploring joint project options. 

One potential avenue to enhance the County's application is to prepare a joint project application. This would automatically result in a higher score for the application, and thus, increase the County's odds of receiving funding. 

Smoky Lake County is an interesting partner because they are located in close proximity to Ashmont and Smoky Lake residents frequently use the lagoon facilities. Smoky Lake County also requires some upgrades at their Spedden Water Treatment Plant facility to increase water capacity in their reservoir which is frequently depleted during peak hours. Similarly, some County of St. Paul residents use the Spedden facility. 

Therefore, not only would this potential joint project enhance the County's odds of receiving funding, but would also see two important pieces of infrastructure that benefit both the County of St. Paul and Smoky Lake County residents be upgraded. 

We have scheduled a meeting with Smoky Lake County Council on March 12 and propose that Reeve Upham, CAO Sheila Kitz, and Director of Legislative and Communication Services Kyle Attanasio attend to present and discuss the proposed joint project application to Smoky Lake County Council. 

The Lakeland Outdoor Recreation Group (LORG) has been working together since 2010 and is comprised of members representing various recreation aspects.  They have taken the lead to moving trail development forward for the Lakeland region.  They have met with Muni-Corr, Riverland and Lac La Biche County to present the background and vision of the trail system.  Muni-Corr supports their idea in principle and is encouraging municipalities and stakeholders in the Lakeland to become informed and support LORG.  Muni-Corr will also be working with this organization to set up a meeting with the Ministers of Culture & Tourism and Environment and Sustainable Resource Development.

 

Muni-Corr is requesting that the County provide a letter of support in principle for LORG for further advancement of regional trail development as well as support to schedule and attend a meeting with the Ministers of Culture & Tourism and Environment and Sustainable Resource Development.

The lease on 3.9 acres in NE 14-61-12-W4 was cancelled.  We received notification in July, 2013 that the lease had been cancelled but the taxes were already levied on the property at that time - tax levy was $25.  The lessee did not pay the taxes as he was no longer leasing it.  When staff went to inactivate the account, they discovered that the property taxes were not paid for 2013.  As the lease has been cancelled, we have no way of collecting the outstanding property taxes and penalties totalling $31.16.

 

Section 347 of the M.G.A. allows a Council to cancel or refund all or part of a tax.

The St. Paul District 4-H Council is once again requesting if Council will host a Beef on a Bun for the District Show and Sale on Monday, June 1, 2015.

The Annual Northern Lights Library Conference will be held September 18 & 19, 2015 in Elk Point.  They are looking for donations for their conference in the form of cash or donations.

 

In the past, Council donated an item to be used as a door prize for this conference.

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