In a close vote, Airdrie City council approved a motion Nov.
In a close vote, Airdrie City council approved a motion Nov. 7 to not move ahead with a budget approved by the board of Airdrie Main Street Square (AMSQ) – a wholly-owned, for-profit subsidiary set up by the City in 2004 to manage its real estate holdings – for a proposed redevelopment of downtown.
Airdrie resident Jim Hassett brought up the issue during public question period, asking council to make a resolution to not approve funding for the Square. The controversial multi-million dollar proposed re-development of downtown includes the building of a new library and expansion of the existing City Hall.
“ What we're trying to do is provide some clarity for the citizens of Airdrie,” Hassett said. “ Confirm that The Square is not going to proceed, that it's not going into our capital budget and that it's not going to contradict the concerns of the city's residents.”
At its Oct. 3 meeting, council had unanimously approved a motion to move all discussion and decisions regarding the Square from the purview of AMSQ to that of council, effectively putting the brakes on the project. AMSQ is currently made up of all members of council plus the City Manager and Director of Corporate Services. On Oct. 3, council also voted to review the makeup of AMSQ to potentially include members from the public in response to public criticism regarding conflict of interest.
The motion passed Nov. 7 by a vote of four to three, with Mayor Peter Brown, Councillor Ron Chapman, Councillor Allan Hunter and Councillor Darrell Belyk voting in favour.
The decision does appear to be somewhat redundant, however, as funding for the Square is not part of the current 2017 budget deliberations.
“ There is nothing in the capital budget as it relates to the Square for 2017, at least as it stands right now to come to council Dec. 3,” Brown said. “ Right now there is no monies dedicated to the Square in the 2017 budget.”
City Manager Paul Schulz said funding to expand city hall and the library do appear in 10-year projections for the capital budget but these have not yet come to council for approval.
Hassett and Marnie Marr have been outspoken critics of both AMSQ and council transparency, largely on the Airdrie Engaged (formerly Airdrie Screwed) Facebook page.
Marr has been pressing to have AMSQ documents released to the public, going so far as to lodge a Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FOIP) request. At the Oct. 17 council meeting, council approved a motion to direct staff to release AMSQ minutes, financial statements and agendas for the last four years, as well as a report compiled by Ernst & Young Orenda Corporate Finance Inc. for the proposed redevelopment. In response, Marr agreed to drop her FOIP request for those documents.
Marr said she still wanted those documents to be released, regardless of council's Nov. 7 decision.
“ I think that they should still release the documents as they have committed to doing so. Many of the documents that were requested were in regards to the AMSQ board, not particularly in regards to The Square,” she said in a message to Airdrie City View.
Fire Wardens
Representatives from the Airdrie Hawks Junior Fire Wardens spoke during public question period and asked council to help them retain their meeting space at the Airdrie Agricultural Centre on East Lake Ramp.
According to Kerry Webster, the group has been meeting at the Ag Centre for many years free of charge but was recently advised by the custodian they would have to find a new meeting space.
“ This was because of a policy that says non-government employees, groups, organizations cannot use the facility during business hours or after business hours,” she said.
According to Webster, if the group was required to find a new meeting space and pay rent, it would negatively impact their ability to provide their programs.
Brown said he would contact the appropriate people regarding the Hawks' request and endeavour to have the group retain their meeting space at the Ag Centre permanently.
Tax Arrears
Council unanimously approved a motion directing staff to attempt to personally reach the owner of a home on Spring Haven Court S.E. before allowing the home to go to public auction due to unpaid city taxes.
Staff from the City's tax department initially came before council to ask for approval to put the home up for auction Nov. 30. The homeowner owes taxes of $2,087.34, dating from 2014 and 2015.
However, after some discussion, council decided to delay putting the home up for public auction until an attempt to physically reach the homeowner was paid. Previous phone calls and unregistered letters sent to the homeowner were not responded to.
According to the City's Manager of Treasury Shannon Schindelar, the City has until March 31 to hold the auction.
Bylaw Amended
A bylaw to amend a lane closure in Coopers Crossing was unanimously approved by council.
According to Karl Mielke, a planner with the City of Airdrie, the bylaw amendment was required to return a small section of laneway to the original developer of the area. The laneway in question is 0.026 hectares in size.
Request Granted
Council formally approved a request from the Airdrie Lioness Club to use the old Main Street firehall as their depot for the 2016 Christmas Hamper Program. The organization will be allowed to use the space between Nov. 8 and Dec. 31. Each Christmas, the Airdrie Lioness Club provides more than 350 hampers to needy families and individuals in the Airdrie area.
