City Council Highlights for the meeting held January 23, 2023:

Delegations

Hannah Luman presented as a delegate regarding the Urban Hen Program.

Council directed Administration to bring a report back to the appropriate Standing Committee with information regarding any complaints related to Urban Hens currently within the City.

Aquatera Dividend Declaration 2022

The Mayor signed the Unanimous Consent for discretionary dividends, as requested by Aquatera Utilities Inc., on behalf of the City of Grande Prairie.*

Stormwater Utility Implementation

Council approved the following recommendations in implementing a Stormwater Utility structured on an impervious surface area fee model no sooner than January 1, 2024:

1. That the utility will be revenue neutral overall to the City and clearly reported annually upon implementation. The annual utility cost to customers would be offset by an equivalent property tax reduction;
2. That the annual utility cost will be recovered through a uniform impervious area charge ($/m2) based on the building footprint for residential customers and an impervious parcel area for non-residential customers;
3. That exemptions to utility charges will include Agricultural (AG) and Urban Reserve (UR) land uses, undeveloped vacant land and parcels draining directly to Bear Creek or a natural drainage course without entering the storm drainage system;
4. That exclusions from utility charges include road rights of way, public utility lots, park green spaces and playgrounds, cemeteries, and Environmental Reserves;
5. That the annual utility cost to customers be offset by a tax reduction that is uniformly applied by the same percentage across all property types; and
6. That a credit system be developed to incentivize measures taken beyond development permit requirements to reduce stormwater runoff or improve stormwater quality.

Eastlink Centre Membership Review

After a review of the various memberships available at the Eastlink Centre, Council approved the following recommendations:

1. Amalgamation and price optimization of Senior, Student, and Youth fees
2. Elimination of 6-month and annual prepaid membership
3. Approval of a New Membership Type

The proposed fees and membership options are estimated to lead to an increase in membership sales and potentially higher membership retention.

Administration has been directed to prepare amendments to the Fees, Rates and Charges Bylaw to reflect these changes.

Bicycle Safety Initiatives

Council approved the use of additional trail safety signage on a small scale at Crystal Lake and Muskoseepi Park and directed Administration to bring back a report on additional line painting along trails.

Stone Ridge Rezoning Bylaws

Council passed amendments to the Southwest Area Structure Plan, Stone Ridge Outline Plan and Land Use Bylaw.

The amendments allow the applicant to rezone a portion in the Stone Ridge neighbourhood from Medium Density to General Commercial to allow for commercial development.

Correspondence

Council received correspondence from CDN Controls regarding the need for increased business flights on the airport schedule. Council accepted the letter for information and is working on increased flight schedules as an advocacy priority.

*This is a revised version of an earlier post.