Council Notes - November 15th, 2022

Council Notes - November 15th, 2022

Edson West Area Structure Plan. A public hearing was held for Amending Bylaw 2282, to adjust the Edson West Area Structure Plan. Following the hearing, Council approved second and third reading of the bylaw. The bylaw is a housekeeping item to capture the changes to Yellowhead County’s Land Use Bylaw and does not substantively change the context or purpose of the Area Structure Plan.

Youth Council Delegation. Council was given a brief update and was introduced to this year’s Youth Council.

Fees and Charges Bylaw. Council has given all three readings to the Fees and Charges Bylaw. Each year this bylaw is reviewed and adjusted to reflect current procedures, move towards cost recovery, and to better line up with industry best practices. The new rates will go into effect on January 1st and some of the key changes include:

• Business Licence fees adjustments – Inclusion of Temporary Business Licences and other changes based on the new Business Licence Bylaw passed on October 4, 2022.
• Landfill – Construction / Demo Material Fees increase from $50 to $61/tonne.
• Cemetery – Addition of a Secondary Niche Plaque fee of $75.
• Water – Rate adjusted from $1.47 to $1.94/m3.
• Sewer – Rate adjusted from $1.51 to $1.94/m3.
• Waste collection - Rate adjusted from $18.22 to $18.61/month.
• Recycling – Residential rate adjusted from $10.20 to $10.90/month. Commercial Recycling goes from $17.40 to $18.60/month.
   

With the utility fee changes, the average residential consumer can expect to see an approximate monthly increase of $19.09. The average non-residential consumer will see an approximate monthly increase of $19.20. The full bylaw is available to view at www.edson.ca/bylaws.

A motion was also passed directing Administration to explore a full capital cost recovery rate model and bring forward a report to Council highlighting their findings and potential implementation steps.

2023 Operating and Capital Budgets. Council has approved motions to bring forward the 2023 Operating and Capital Budgets for approval at a future Council Meeting. The 2023 Draft Budget moves the Town back to pre-COVID service levels and includes an increase for roads and snow removal. It also sees an increase in service for outdoor rinks, a sidewalk maintenance program, and a backflow prevention program. However, this is expected to be another challenging budget as the Town continues to face increasing pressures from inflation, COVID recovery, supply chain issues, and provincial downloading. For more information on the budget process, visit www.edson.ca/budget.

Next meeting - The next Council meeting is scheduled for December 6th, 2022, at 7:00 pm.

Agenda/Information package HERE

App users view the video HERE