Irricana councillors rejected an offer from Boomtown Tourism Association (BTA) to pool resources with several municipalities to hire a professional grant writer for the whole group.
BTA officials said several communities have indicated they need help with the increasingly complex grant applications. Councillors rejected BTA’s offer, saying Town staff have the necessary resources to complete the applications.
A recommendation from the staff from municipal affairs investigating Irricana caused Town council to eliminate two committees.
Council learned that having residents on the Public Works Committee and the Bylaw and Policy Review Committee was against the Municipal Government Act.
Staff will now determine public works priorities, to be approved by council, while council will make up the bylaw committee.
After some debate, council also decided to withdraw their seat on the Agricultural Society board, due to another recommendation from municipal affairs.
“The Agricultural Society is a private society,” said Mayor Lisa Constantini. “If it is not a council mandated board, we shouldn’t be sitting on it.”
A clerical error on the tax roll caused an overcharge to the owner of a commercial vacant lot on 2nd Ave. Council agreed to pay the land owner $947.02, the amount over-charged. Any overpayments made in prior years will not be refunded in accordance with the MGA, which places the onus on the taxpayer to bring errors to the attention of the Town.
Councillor Frank Dusome reported on the Regional Servicing Steering Committee meeting. He reported that regional water and wastewater servicing has been identified as one of the three top priorities in the organization’s current strategic plan and budget. The committee is striving to strike the right balance between protecting the regional environment, providing efficient and effective delivery of municipal services and enhancing regional prosperity.
Dusome also attended the Calgary Regional Partnership executive committee meeting where those present heard how the Bow River system can and should be managed differently at a relatively moderate cost.
The next meeting of Irricana council will be Nov. 1 at 7 p.m. in council chambers.
