Council Clips – November 5, 2019
Canmore Bighorn Intermunicipal Development Plan
New legislation requires municipalities with common borders to adopt intermunicipal development plans. The Town has prepared a plan with our bordering municipality, the M.D. of Bighorn, which addresses land use planning on lands bordering both municipalities including things like future land use, utility services, environmental matters, and transportation corridors. A public hearing will be held on December 3, 2019 to hear from any member of the public who wishes to comment. For more information visit Intermunicipal Development Plan (IDP).
Proposed Rogers Wireless Cell Tower Installation
Council agreed to submit a letter of concurrence to Rogers Communication indicating that Council has no objection to Rogers installing a new cell tower across from Elevation Place near Pumphouse 1. The tower will have a simulated pine tree design similar to the cell tower that already exists in that location.
Organics Program Budget Increase
Council approved a project last year to expand the Waste Management Centre to support the new Organics Diversion Program. During the design stage of the project it was discovered that the increase in square footage requires the installation of a sprinkler system and water supply line to meet building code requirements. Council agreed to an increased budget of $450,000 to be funding by borrowing. The borrowing bylaw received first reading and is now being advertised prior to further readings. For more information visit https://canmore.ca/town-hall/bylaws-policy/bylaws-pending-approval.
Solar Panels Approved for Elevation Place
The Town has successfully applied for an Alberta Municipal Solar program rebate that will fund approximately 30% of the costs associated with installing solar panels on the Elevation Place roof. In order to take advantage of this grant, which is not likely to continue, Council voted to fund the $594,000 project. $430,000 will come from the general capital reserve and $164,000 from the grant. An additional $56,000 was approved, in the event that a subsequent grant application is approved to add solar panels to the remainder of the roof not covered by the initial grant. This project aligns with goals set out in council Climate Action plan, which you can learn more about at Climate Action Plan.
Impact of Provincial Budget on the Town of Canmore
Alberta Budget 2019 has resulted in a number of operational and capital impacts on the Town of Canmore’s budget. Reductions were announced to revenue from policing and bylaw fines, transit, and grants. As well, funding for Parent Link will be discontinued in March of 2020, although a new program is being announced later this week that may replace some programming. The Town has now received the 2019 Education Requisition amount from the Province of Alberta, which will result in an additional $188,000 to be collected through the 2020 Property Taxes. To hear a full discussion of the budget impacts, watch the webcast of the meeting at the link below. More details will be shared as we determine the extent of the impact to our budgets.
To see the agenda package and video of this meeting visit Council Agendas, Minutes, and Videos.
