Schreiber council meeting for January 2021

Schreiber council January 2021

Schreiber Council streamed their first council meeting of 2021. First item up was the approval of the purchase of a new snow blower that would improve the removal of snow on sidewalks and also has a sander attached. With more winter months ahead this will be a welcome addition in getting snow removed from walkways. Surplus assists, which include some older buildings in town, would be sold off. A bylaw which would allow an interim tax levy was passed. Treasurer Marlene Bottomley explained that this is merely a requirement in order to distribute tax bills and does not necessarily represent a tax increase.

Committee of the whole was next up with various reports from all departments being discussed. The CAO/ Clerk report is traditionally the first one to be presented and centred around the issue of emergency control and particularly the impact of the provincial emergency declaration on municipal operations which will result in employee screening being implemented. 

Outdoor recreation was also included in that order which introduced the possibility of allowing  the baseball field and the outdoor arena to open with limitations placed on attendance and limiting the usage to 10 people at a time. With the uncertainty surrounding usage and operation of the indoor arena, it would allow for additional public spaces to be opened up. Another factor in keeping the indoor arena closed was the savings that would result. The cost of electricity alone for the venue is around $11,000 per month but will be reduced significantly if the decision to close the area can be agreed upon. It was decided to not make a decision on the issue at this point until an update was given from the provincial government. As the season for operation is only 8 more weeks until the area would close anyway it seems to be an ineffective move by council. 

The treasurers report was accepted and includes a recommendation for property tax right offs, all tied to changes in ongoing  re-assessments by the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation (MPAC) which also includes requests by property owners for reconsiderations and settlements. The budget variance report was presented to council for consideration. The director of operations provided a status update  and included quotes fo repairs to a wall at the recreation centre. Also the fuel contract for the municipal buildings was approved and seems to be slightly lower than the previous year, perhaps due to a reduction in fuel prices or the implementation of better savings measures. 

The Discovery Centre occupancy permit was received and means that the opening of the centre is drawing closer to realization. However the health and safety situation in regards to the control of the pigeon population in the area is still not resolved. The control of the birds also has an affect on ongoing and future projects, including the upcoming pavilion to be built downtown, and continues frustrating the council. 
The seniors committee, bylaw enforcement and public library reports were received.

 
Fire Chief Jan Morrison presented his report to the council and a debate arose on how the fire services could be shared in the surrounding areas.
Water treatment plant upgrades and improvements are ongoing as are discussions to increases in administration fees with service providers unclear on how and why prices have increased when an agreement had already been reached earlier during the awarding of the new contracts.
Under communications, an important issue raised was the cost of insurance to municipalities. This is becoming a major headache for smaller municipalities.