After six months of work by staff and a consulting firm, Irricana’s Land Use Bylaw has been completely rewritten. The revised edition received its third and final reading June 21 and will now form the basis of land use decisions for at least the next five years.
Under the bylaw, the Town’s development officer has been given greater discretionary powers which, it is hoped, will allow for easier development and less bureaucracy. A letter from Nelson Yee, who is planning to develop the area to the west of the railroad tracks, asked for a more relaxed parking stall regulation for his development. This would allow him to sell his units at a lower price. Council, however, did not make the requested revision. The new land use bylaw is posted on the Town’s website.
A memo was received from Director of Emergency Management Dean Lailey explaining that the current Town office building is too crowded to serve as an efficient Emergency Operations Centre should one ever be needed. Lailey’s letter suggested that the Centennial Centre be designated as Irricana’s EOC.
Council agreed to this request with the provision that any extra costs for facilitating the move be taken from the Emergency Management budget.
The Village of Beiseker intends to put forward a motion at the 2010 Alberta Urban Municipalities Association convention, urging the Alberta government to provide equitable and consistent funding for regional water lines throughout the province. After considerable discussion, Irricana council agreed by a vote of 3-2 to support Beiseker in this endeavor.
Those wishing to run for council in Irricana this fall will be required to post a deposit of $100. The deposit is refundable if the candidate receives a pre-determined number of votes. Council also determined there will be an advance vote and returning officers will be available to attend the home of any physically incapacitated voters between 3 and 5 p.m. on election day. Nomination day is Sept. 20 and the election will be held Oct. 18. Irricana will vote for five council members, who will choose a mayor from amongst themselves.
Council agreed to close Main Street for the Sports Day Parade on July 10, with the provision that emergency vehicles would be given the right of way should they be needed. The parade starts at 10 a.m. at the grassy area near the community garden. A pancake breakfast on Main Street precedes the parade and a variety of activities are planned throughout the day.
A request to waive or reduce the ball diamond and community hall rentals for the Sports Day ball tournament was received. The tournament and dance are fundraisers for breast cancer research. Council agreed to waive the ball diamond rental and reduce the hall rental to $100 on the condition that proceeds from the tournament and the dance be channeled through Town office for disbursement to the Wild Pink Yonder Ride For Breast Cancer that will be passing through Irricana on Aug. 23.
The next meeting of Irricana council will be July 19 at 7 p.m. in Council Chambers in the Centennial Building on Main Street.
