Catch Council last night?
Here are highlights from the May 12, 2025 meeting:
- Council provided first reading to Bylaw No. 2174, Meeting Procedures Bylaw. This bylaw updates the Procedural Bylaw, providing added clarity and incorporating legislative changes under the Municipal Government Act. It also consolidates the Procedural Bylaw and Governance & Priorities Committee Bylaw.
- Alisha Mody, manager of Planning and Development, presented the Land Use Bylaw (LUB) Refresh - What We Heard Report. This report included extensive feedback from the community collected through our publicly available survey. Most changes highlighted in the survey received strong support from respondents. However, some regulations of the draft LUB may need to be updated to better meet the needs of the community. As outlined in the report, responses and comments for regulations related to storage containers, landscaping, and RV parking in residential districts had less support (while still having a majority) and some comments raised questions about the details of the regulations, prompting further clarification. Council will continue to provide feedback before the bylaw is presented for third and final reading.
- Tanya Bell, Director of Community Services, presented a briefing note regarding a new community group, the Arbo Revitalization Society, that has formed to rejuvenate Peace River’s Arboretum through infrastructure upgrades. These include plans to install power, improve signage, and support forestry education. The Town is drafting a Memorandum of Understanding to clarify roles and responsibilities, while preliminary approval has been given for the group to explore power installation at their own capital cost with ongoing operations to be managed by the Town.
- Sam Mugford, Director of Corporate Services, presented a Three-Year Financial Performance Review for 2021-2024. There have been several positive changes to the Town’s financials when comparing 2021 to 2024, including reduction of net financial debt from $21,441,286 to $4,991,566; reduction in long-term debt from $25,325,794 to $20, 665,375, an 18.4% reduction; and an increase in net restricted and unrestricted surplus from $4,548,518 to $19,263,199.
- Council approved a change to the Town’s organizational structure by converting a casual Customer Service Representative position to a FTE permanent Customer Service Representative position under the Corporate Services Department.
- Council directed Administration to draft an Assessment of Designated Manufactured Homes in a Manufactured Home Community Bylaw, for consideration. Administration has historically encountered challenges in collecting property taxes from residents of manufactured home parks. This difficulty arises because manufactured homes are more akin to vehicles than traditional houses, and as such are not titled or registered with Alberta Land Titles office – meaning typical tax arrears recovery methods cannot be used. Consequently, the Town is currently owed $19,013.65 in manufactured home property tax arrears.
- Council approved the addition of one permanent full-time Community Peace Officer to the Town of Peace River Organizational Chart, and the addition of $60,000 to the 2025 operating budget (funded through grants in lieu) to commence hiring immediately. This is in response to the increased need for enforcement in Peace River. Once this hire is in place, our Protective Services Department will be able to provide 7-day continuous coverage at 10 hours per day. The shifts will be scheduled in a way to prevent recognizable patterns.
- Council directed Administration to provide a submission to the Impact Assessment Agency of Canada concerning the proposed Peace River Nuclear Project. The submission will include questions and comments about a range of impacts the project may have for the town, including on transportation, housing, and recreation.
And there's always more.
Read the whole agenda here: https://peaceriver.civicweb.net/filepro/documents/?expanded=9574,141215…
And watch it again on Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjNlnGDLbyE
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