Minutes of the Cypress County Council Meeting held March 17th, 2009

 

PRESENT:                           George Russill, Reeve

                                                Darcy Geigle, Deputy Reeve

                                                Floyd Haas

                                                LeRay Pahl

                                                Garry Lentz

                                                Herb Scott

                                                Jerry Clark

                                                Brad Betcker

                                                Peter Konosky

                                                Lutz Perschon, Manager

                                                Doug Henderson, Assistant Manager

                                                Rick Bleau, Public Works Supervisor

                                                Jeffrey Dowling, Planning Advisor

                                                Roxanne Risk, Treasurer/Recording Secretary

                                               

CALL TO ORDER:              10:30 A.M.

 

AGENDA:                              Resolution No. 2009/67

 

                                                Garry Lentz moved to accept the agenda with the additions of the 5 Cash Statement for the Month of February, 6(b) Capital Project Request – Walsh Water Plant Baffling Walls to Business Arising and 7(l) Water Rates to New Business.

 

                                                                                                Carried.

 

 

MINUTES:                            Resolution No. 2009/68

 

                                                Floyd Haas moved to approve the minutes of the March 3rd, 2009 Regular Council Meeting and Public Hearing.

 

                                                                                                Carried.

 

  Accounts                      ACCOUNTS FOR

PAYMENT:                           Resolution No. 2009/69

 

Herb Scott moved to approve the Accounts for Payment in the amount of $ 932,198.97.

 

                                                                                                Carried.

 

 

 

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CASH STATEMENT:        Due to the recent downturn in the economy, some investments have decreased in value.  Council has decided to hold onto the bonds.    

 

                                                Resolution No. 2009/70

 

Jerry Clark moved to receive for information the cash statement for the month ending February 28th, 2009.

 

                                                                                                Carried.

 

BUSINESS ARISING:

 

Policy R18 – Well

Drilling Setbacks               Policy R18 requires that wells be drilled at least 50 m from the edge of the road right-of-way to provide for future road widening. 

 

                                               Wells surveyed at 40 m setbacks and sited prior to March 3, 2009 will be grand fathered from the 50 m requirement. 

 

                                               Resolution No. 2009/71

 

                                               Jerry Clark moved adoption of Policy R18 – Well Drilling Setbacks.

                                              

                                                                                                Carried.

 

Capital Project

Request – Walsh Water

Plant Baffling Walls       The cost of the project has increased to $98,000.00 from the previous cost of $77,000.00.  Staff requests Council approval of the increased cost.

 

                                               Resolution No. 2009/72

 

Brad Betcker moved to approve the Walsh Water Plant Baffling Walls Capital Request at a budgeted cost of $98,000.00.

 

                                                                                                Carried.

NEW BUSINESS:

 

Bylaw 2009/08 – Land

Use Amendment

(Pt SW 9-12-7-W4)               An application has been received from 477642 Alberta Ltd. to reclassify a portion of the SW 9-12-7-W4, Plan 9310491, Block 1, from Agricultural District 2 “A-2 General Agriculture” to Country Residential District “CR”.

 

                                                Resolution No. 2009/73

 

                                                Jerry Clark moved 1st reading of Bylaw 2009/08.

 

                                                                                                Carried.

 

Bylaw 2009/09 – Land

Use Amendment

(Pt SE 34-11-6-W4)             An application has been received from Midwest Surveys Inc., acting on behalf of Laverne and Gertrude Stehr, to reclassify a portion of the SE 34-11-6-W4 from Agricultural District 1 “A-1 Urban Fringe” to Country Residential District “CR”.

 

                                                Resolution No. 2009/74

 

                                                Darcy Geigle moved 1st reading of Bylaw 2009/09.

 

                                                                                                Carried.

 

Engineering Service

Agreement – MPE

Engineering Ltd.                 The Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) between Alberta and British Columbia will be implemented April 1st, 2009.  Under the requirements of TILMA all purchases relative to consulting engineering services, in excess of $75,000, shall be electronically posted and advertised in order to allow for submissions from any engineering firms in British Columbia or Alberta.

 

                                                Regarding the implementation of TILMA, communities that have existing long term agreements with their engineering consultants, prior to April 1st, 2009, will not have the requirements of TILMA applied until the engineering agreement has expired.

 

                                                MPE Engineering Ltd. would like Council to approve an engineering services agreement for a minimum of a five years.  The agreement has been structured in such a way that Council could, at their discretion, still solicit proposals from other engineering firms.

 

                                                Currently, staff has not received an engineering service agreement from Genivar Consultants LP.  Genivar also provides Cypress County with engineering services.  Staff would like approval from Council to accept an engineering service agreement from Genivar if needed.

 

                                                Resolution No. 2009/75

 

                                                LeRay Pahl moved to accept the engineering service agreements between Cypress County and MPE Engineering Ltd. and Cypress County and Genivar Consultants LP, each with a five year contract.

 

                                                                                                Carried.

 

 

2009 MLA Round

Table                                      MLA Len Mitzel is coordinating a 2009 Round Table and PEP is requesting topic suggestions.  The deadline for topics is March 18, 2009.

 

                                                Council concurs with the topics suggested by other PEP members, including Highway 41 and Highway 36 development, 24 hour border development, Bill 19 – change in regulation on acquisition of highway lands and rights-of- way, the regionalization of treated water, MSI funding, future of rural hospitals, and additional funding for senior housing.

 

                                                Council would also like to be updated on the Landuse Framework and wind power on leased land.  The additional topic that Council would like addressed is water license transfers. 

 

 

Grader Purchase                Ammy Blenner-Hassett and Greg Sjolie supplied Council with a summarized list of tenders from vendors for three Motor Graders.  Council discussed the tenders from each vendor.

 

                                                Resolution No. 2009/76

 

                                                Brad Betcker moved to purchase three Caterpillar Motor Graders from Finning.

 

                                                                                                Carried.

 

Fire Guardian

Appointments                      The Forest and Prairie Protection Act (FPPA) requires rural municipalities to appoint a sufficient number of fire guardians annually prior to April 1st. 

 

                                                Staff recommended a number of personnel to be appointed.  

 

                                                Resolution No. 2009/77

 

                                                Floyd Haas moved to appoint the following personnel as fire guardians pursuant to the Forest and Prairie Protection Act:

                                                Dennis Mann,  Ammy Blenner-Hassett, Candida Spackman, Lutz Perschon, Doug Henderson, Pam Pirsch, Penny Suddaby, Roxanne Risk, Angela Gazdag, Anna Mast, O’Brien Tarnasky (Elkwater), Lyle Freimark (Walsh), Mike Hammerton (Irvine), Marcel Levesque (Seven Persons), Ross Straub (Hilda) and Andrew McLean (Schuler).

 

                                                                                                Carried.

 

 Building Canada Fund

Application Resolution     Cypress County is applying to the Building Canada Fund for grant funding for two separate infrastructure projects within the hamlet of Walsh.  One project is for a new wastewater gravity collection system, and the other is for the replacement and upgrade of the existing water distribution system. 

 

                                                The Building Canada Fund requires that a formal resolution from the local government be submitted with the application.  The deadline for submitting applications was March 15th, and both applications were submitted on March 13th.

 

                                                Staff would like Council to pass a resolution for support of both applications to the Building Canada Fund.

 

                                                Resolution No. 2009/78

 

Brad Betcker moved to support the Walsh Wastewater Sewage Collection Project application to the Building Canada Fund and the Walsh Water Distribution System Replacement and Upgrade application to the Building Canada Fund.

 

                                                                                                Defeated.

 

                                                 Resolution No. 2009/79

 

Floyd Haas moved to support the Walsh Water Distribution System Replacement and Upgrade application to the Building Canada Fund.

 

                                               Carried.

 

FCM – Bottled Water

Resolution                            The Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) encourages reduced bottled water use at municipal facilities.  The FCM passed a resolution encouraging municipalities to “phase out the sale and purchase of bottled water at their own facilities where appropriate and where potable water is available.”                               

 

                                                 Resolution No. 2009/80

 

                                                 Darcy Geigle moved to take no action.

 

                                                                                                Carried.

 

 

Audit Service Plan              Meyers Norris Penny submitted the Audit Service Plan to inform Council of their overall strategy and general arrangements for the audit of the financial statements of Cypress County for year ended December 31, 2008. 

 

RECESSS:                           12:00 P.M.

 

RECONVENE:                     12:32 P.M.

 

Irvine Water Project            MPE Engineering completed a study on the Irvine water system.  Each alternative requires various upgrades and new infrastructure which present significant capital costs.  Funding for this project would be provided under AMWWP and Water for Life strategy.

 

                                                 One alternative is to upgrade the current water treatment facility within the hamlet of Irvine.   The other alternative is to construct a regional treated water pipeline from the City of Medicine Hat. 

 

                                                 Council would like a supplementary report that addresses alternative options for a regional water line, specifically reporting of the capability of tying into the Seven Persons water line.

 

Water Rates                          Councillor Peter Konosky would like the Tier 1 water volume usage increased from 40 m3 to 60 m3 per billing period. 

 

                                                

                                                 Resolution No. 2009/81

 

                                                 Peter Konosky moved to adjust the Tier 1 water volume usage maximum to 60m3.

 

                                                                                                Defeated.

 

Mission Statement

Development                        Discussed in Committee Session.

 

REPORTS:

 

Public Work’s Report        The Public Work’s Report was presented and accepted for information.

                                               

                                                AMA is no longer providing the service of the “arrow style” signs in the remote areas of the County.  The AMA “arrow style” signs will be removed when they become unsightly. 

                                               

Manager’s Report               The Manager’s Report was presented and accepted for information.

 

                                                Council would like staff to complete a survey to determine if the hamlet of Dunmore could support a volunteer fire department.

 

Assistant Manager’s

Report                                   The Assistant Manager’s Report was presented and accepted for information.

 

                                                It was recently discovered that the main water valve inside the Walsh Community Hall was malfunctioning.  As a result, their utility bills have been unusually high. 

 

                                                Resolution No. 2009/82

 

                                                Darcy Geigle moved to refund $500 to the Walsh Community Association.

 

                                                                                                Carried.

Reeve’s/Councillors’

Reports                                 Updates were provided on meetings/conferences attended and upcoming meetings.

 

                                                LMT is celebrating their 75th anniversary.  Jerry Clark will be attending.

 

                                                MPC would like direction from Council regarding the placement of portable signs. 

 

                                                Herb Scott attended the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board course.  

 

Committee Session           Resolution No. 2009/83

 

                                                Brad Betcker moved to go into committee of the whole.

 

                                                                                                Carried.

 

 

                                                Resolution No. 2009/84

 

                                                Floyd Haas moved to come out of committee of the whole.

 

                                                                                                Carried.

 

ADJOURN:                           3:30 P.M.