Council Debrief: Breaking Down the Public Hearing

This week’s public meeting of the Neepawa Town Council was dominated by a public hearing regarding a proposed new housing development on the west side of town. The community has seen several new developments over the past few years but this one has them all beat in volume, proposing a 140-site subdivision that requires additional considerations such as increased traffic volume. The council is proceeding with the approval process while considering what conditions might be prudent on the development agreement.

The council also addressed the recent heavy snowfall, the first of the season. The town had recently signed new snow clearing contracts, and anecdotal evidence suggests that Neepawa fared better than surrounding towns in terms of clearing the streets in a timely manner. While there was still work to be done, most of the main areas were passable again within a couple of days.

Two more streets that have now opened up are Davidson and Brown, portions of which had been closed for construction purposes for weeks. Both are still gravel roads for the time being while will allow the ground to settle over the winter before being repaved in the spring.

With the new RCMP collective agreement with the federal government, a significant amount of retroactive pay has been granted. The town of Neepawa is adding their name to the many municipalities across the country who are calling for the federal government to cover the cost of that back pay for officers employed in municipalities, as municipalities have not budgeted for this expense nor was any representative present at the bargaining table when the deal was struck.

The Council also received updates on the work of the Whitemud Watershed Conservation DIstrict and on the planning progress for the Park Lake revitalisation, which is expected to break ground in the spring.