Mayor Bruce Rowe requested and was unanimously granted a one month leave of absence by the rest of council.
Rowe is the Wildrose candidate in the Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills constituency in the provincial election.
Should he be successful in his provincial bid, he will resign from council and a by-election will be necessary. Council wished him well in his endeavour.
ìItís looking good.... but we are not taking anything for granted. Bring it on,î Rowe said of his election campaign.
Deputy Mayor Ray Courtman will assume the mayoral duties during Roweís absence.
ï The sewage lagoon is in need of attention and may cost up to $30,000 in repairs and maintenance, Public Works Foreman Bill Hnybida told council.
Work on the drainage ditches may be delayed this spring to free up money for the lagoon work. CAO Jo Lambert also noted that some provincial MSI funding could be used if necessary.
ï The north road will be the focus of this yearís sidewalk replacement program along with a few other isolated spots around town.
ï Councillor Fred Walters asked council to give $250 to the Fire Departmentís annual Easter Egg Hunt.
The request, to be funded through the Rec Board, was unanimously approved. The event will be held on April 9 at 11 a.m. in Friendship Park.
ï Councillor Karen Ursu told council the ice should soon be out of the building and council has given permission for the Fire Department to move into the arena temporarily.
A new firehall is expected to arrive in April to replace the one that was destroyed by wind last winter.
The Villageís insurance company is paying for tearing down the old building as well as the purchase, delivery and set up of the new building.
ï The next movie night will be Big Miracle, a story about whales who get trapped under the ice.
It will be shown on April 14 at 7 p.m. in the community hall. Admission is free with the purchase of a $5 drink and popcorn.
ï Lambert produced a new policy for councilís perusal, setting out the amount that may be spent on gifts to employees who retire or resign from the Village. The gifts begin at up to $50 for two years service to up to $300 for long-term employees.
Bylaw amendment
Residents now have up to 48 hours to remove snow from their sidewalks instead of 24.
However, if they fail to do so, the Village will now charge $2 per lineal foot to remove it. In the case of renters, the property owners will be billed.
At census time, Beiseker was home to 785 people, down 41 since the last federal election.
Due to the Easter weekend, the next meeting of Beiseker council will be April 10 at 7:30 p.m. in council chambers. The public is welcome.
