Airdrie City council meetings will start one hour earlier beginning Nov. 13 after council members approved the change at the organizational meeting on Oct. 26.
The public section of the meeting will now begin at 6 p.m. rather than the traditional 7 p.m.
“From the perspective of administration and my council colleagues, the city has grown and the agendas have gotten much larger,” Mayor Peter Brown said.
“Starting your day at 7:30 a.m. and ending at 11:30 p.m. is really unrealistic. I think it’s difficult to make decisions when you’ve extended that 15 hour work day.
“Paring it back an hour is reasonable. We’re not going to start public question period most likely until about 7 p.m. so it still gives residents a chance to come if they wish to participate. We’ll try it in the short-term and see if it works.”
Committee Appointments
Also at its organizational meeting, council determined appointments to the various City boards and committees upon which alderman and the Mayor sit for 2016.
There was only one change from 2015, according to Alderman Fred Burley. An additional alderman will sit on the Municipal Policing Advisory Board, bringing the total number of alderman on that board to three. Joining Alderman Allan Hunter and Alderman Darrell Belyk will be Alderman Candice Kolson.
Alderman vs. Councilor
A controversial subject is back on the books after Brown made a motion at council’s regular meeting Nov. 3 to have City staff look at options for changing the title by which members of council are referred from alderman to councilor.
The last time council voted on the topic was in January 2011, at which time the motion was defeated by a vote of five to two.
Brown said he thought it was time for the change.
“I brought it up a few years ago and it was defeated. Now that we have a new council I thought I’d provide another opportunity,” he said.
“I believe that the vast majority of communities across Canada have switched from alderman to councilor and I think it’s about time Airdrie looked at it again.”
A timeline for when staff might return to council with recommendations was not determined at the meeting.
Glowing for 20 Years
The Airdrie Festival of Lights is celebrating 20 years of bringing Christmas cheer to the community in 2015. Michelle Pirzek, co-ordinator of the Airdrie Festival of Lights Society (AFOLS) came to council to present information about the group’s history and plans moving forward.
According to Pirzek, community members donated $70,000 to the overall $250,000 budget in 1996, helping to bring to life the Christmas light display that takes over Nose Creek Park each December.
“Those first organizers would be extremely pleased and proud of how we’ve maintained their original vision while growing and continuing to offer Airdrie and the surrounding area a family friendly, low cost light festival that is like no other,” Pirzek said.
The 2015 Airdrie Festival of Lights begins Dec. 1 and runs through Dec. 31. Pirzek said they expect to welcome their one millionth visitor this year. Admission is through donation only.
This year’s event will feature train rides for old and young alike – including the introduction of a new state-of-the-art mini train – performances by local choirs, musicians and school choirs, and a visit by Santa and Mrs. Claus.
