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The first half of this month’s RM of Rosedale Council meeting was business as usual, including some brief public hearings to address variations to setbacks on rural properties which went through without objection. Representatives from the Planning District also discussed some actions that needed to be taken regarding property cleanup and addressing condemned farm buildings that are becoming a hazard. Neglect of old buildings and disused areas can be a common occurence on rural properties, and Council has asked that the Planning District give them a heads up when they have to contact landowners to take action.

Councillors looked once again at landfill issues, recognising they are approaching the lifespan of some of the existing cells and looking at the possibility of expanding in two of their locations. Council had previously looked at joining with Neepawa in their environmental services, but that site did not have the capacity to add Rosedale at this time.

Following a break, Council was joined by a pair of RCMP officers to update them on their activities in the last quarter and take questions from the councillors. Before the pandemic, most municipal councils in the area received periodic briefings from the RCMP, and many have just resumed those visits in the past couple of months. The briefing covered a wide variety of topics including the current statistics, specific incidents, and new initiatives such as the 9 PM Routine, which reminds people through social media to ensure they have taken nightly security measures.

They indicated that Rosedale is one of the quieter areas in the Spruce Plains region, with very few thefts - which are on the rise in neighbouring areas - and most of the incidents being traffic violations. The RCMP encouraged everyone to report incidents even if they consider them minor so that they can get a better sense of patterns and where problems are happening.

The final delegation of the meeting came from the neighbouring municipality of North Cypress-Langford. Because the municipalities are adjacent, they share a few roads including one that has been a problem area for many residents drawing complaints to both municipalities. While they believe there was a formal agreement some time in past decades between the municipalities regarding maintenance of the area, neither was able to locate it and so they have come together to form a new agreement. Municipal administration also suggested there might be some provincial funds available if there is need for restoration of the road in that area above and beyond routine maintenance.

Council also discussed the monthly financial report, grant requests from various organisations and events, repair and maintenance of municipal equipment, and other regular business.