According to Richard Barss, acting executive director of Community Development Services, the first motion asks the Minister of Municipal Affairs grant CMRB a one year extension to deliver its Growth Plan and Servicing Plans, while the second directs CMRB administration to reflect the board’s desire to resolve water servicing constraints before the Growth Plan is substantively completed.
“The CMRB is required to submit Growth and Servicing Plans to the minister for approval on Jan. 1, 2021,” Barss said.
So far, the board has been working on a “parallel track” to develop both the Growth Plan and eight Servicing Plans, he said – with the hope that all plans logically interconnect – by June 2020, in order to submit a final draft to the Minister before the deadline.
Recent CMRB discussions on water capacity and the principles and questions regarding water sharing have revealed the complexity of the task, according to Barss. Further, at a recent meting, the board acknowledged it should submit “a good plan, rather, and not a hasty plan.”
Administration suggested it would be prudent to develop a Growth Plan sequentially, once water capacity and the principles regarding the sharing of water and wastewater services are understood and agreed to, Barss added.
“I would just like to say to the rest of council and the public, the deliverability of a good plan should far exceed the desire to get it done in a timely fashion,” Reeve Greg Boehlke said, expressing support for the motions. “Right now, there is a real question on servicing in this region, and how we’re going to service the projected growth that we’re looking at in the future.”
Road closure
Council completed a road closure by granting unanimous second and third readings to the associated bylaw.
According to Engineering Support Technician Angela Pare, the bylaw – closing a 1.43-acre portion of undeveloped road allowance adjacent to Indus known as Range Road 281 – received first reading May 8, 2018. Administration received approval from the Minister of Transportation July 30, 2018.
“The applicants were not in favour of the original appraised value of the lands at $25,000, and, through multiple meetings, a revised appraisal package was provided,” Pare said, adding council gave direction March 26 to apply a revised appraisal price of $5,000 plus closing costs for the land, which was accepted by the applicants.
