Last week + Org Meeting + Regular Council Meeting November 2, 2021
Last week highlights
Economic Sustainability Advisory Board
Council had its annual meeting with volunteers from ESAB, the board that advises the City Manager on issues relating to the economic viability of our city. It was great meeting new members, and hearing about their vision for the future of St. Albert.
Emergency Management Advisory Committee
The EAC met for the first time since the city’s pandemic response stabilized a few weeks ago. With rising infection rates and increased mandatory restrictions added for the City of Edmonton, we felt that an update was wise. The meeting was streamed online for any member of the public wanting to know more about our current state (starts about about 6:30):
Organizational meeting highlights
It’s that time of year when we set the schedule for meetings and the deputy mayor roster. We’re proposing to continue with 2pm Council meetings and 9:30/1:30 standing committee meetings, and I’ll be deputy mayor in May/June again next year. This will be the last organizational meeting of the term and our last meeting with the 2017-2021 Council will be on September 13, 2021. I happen to be writing this post on the third anniversary of our first org meeting, the day we were sworn in - I continue to be incredibly honoured to have been entrusted with this role.
Regular meeting agenda highlights
We’re starting this meeting off with the CAO’s proposed 2021 budget. What will follow are engagement sessions with residents to gauge support and to solicit ideas to modify the plan, opportunities for Council to ask questions of Admin during budget presentations scheduled for November 3 & 5, and opportunities for Council to move changes which will be debated November 24 and December 1 & 3. For up-to-date information and opportunities to provide feedback about the budget, please watch the City’s 2021 budget page - the proposed budget will be available to view Monday afternoon. I’ll write a budget highlights post after the document is made public, and I’ll follow up with highlights of proposed budget motions.
2021 Operating Budget
The proposed operating budget of $112.4M is based on no changes to service levels and would result in a 3.5% tax increase. However, Administration is recommending that we offset this increase by carrying forward $2M from 2020 cost & service reductions and $544,000 from new assessment growth, which would result in a reduced increase of 1.1%. Administration is also offering suggestions to Council about how we can further reduce the 2021 budget; Council will have to move specific changes to have them applied to our 2021 plan.
2021 Municipal Capital Budget
Municipal capital refers to City assets like roads, sidewalks, parks, buildings, etc. Admin is proposing a modest plan that includes 44 projects ($39.4M).
2021 Utility Capital Budget
Our utilities include provision of water, wastewater, etc. Admin is proposing we move forward with 11 projects, most of them to maintain or repair/replace existing assets for $19.6M. This would result in “an average decrease of $0.40 (0.03 per cent)” on the average utility bill.
Lakeview Business District Servicing ($25.1M) + Borrowing Bylaw (1st reading)
As a continuation of the land donation from Rohit to develop a community amenities site, this is to approve an infrastructure project that “will bring sanitary, water, stormwater services and road infrastructure to the proposed Community Amenities site at the western corner of Ray Gibbon Drive and Villeneuve Road, as well as the Lakeview Business District”.
The borrowing bylaw is typical for this type of utilities project, and would see us borrow $25M over 20 years at an estimated rate of 1.962% with estimated payments of $1.5M/year and total interest of $5.3M over the 20-year term. This is well within our debt limit imposed by the province. This project is also considered an off-site levy project, which means that we’ll recover about $12.4M as the area is built out. It’s unclear when we’ll have second reading - I’ll provide an update when I have that information.
Active Communities (ACA) - Admin Assessment
Administration is recommending that we do not proceed with a Memorandum of Understanding with ACA. The reasoning is that an operating agreement would be more appropriate if we selected them to run a City facility, and that “due to complexity of this work and the current… climate and economy driving both corporate priorities and competition for scarce capital resources at all levels of government, Administration recommends not revisiting opportunities for partnerships with third parties to build and operate a new arena(s) until 2022, after the recommended recreation facility planning… which is conditional on funding approval by Council”.
Residential Front-Back Units (1st reading)
Last spring, Council directed admin to prepare a bylaw to allow front-back multi-family homes. This is an example of a front-to back duplex in Edmonton, with one unit’s garage in the front and the second unit’s in the back off a lane. This bylaw creates a new districting (zoning) option that is separate from existing districts - I’m not sure if this was the intent of Council or is ideal for developers, but we can clarify this during the public hearing/2nd reading. The public hearing for this change will be on November 30.
Zero Lot Lines (1st reading)
This is 1st reading of an amendment that would allow “zero lot line” (ZLL) development, to allow homes to be built on a property line using easements to manage overhangs and property access on/from the neighbouring property. Minimum distances between neighbouring homes would be reduced from 2.5m to 1.5m. Additional measures for fire protection are also required because the properties are so close together that they don’t adhere to traditional building codes. In one of our districts (development zones), front garages would be permitted for these homes, which means that options for treed boulevards and street parking are limited. Front garages would also mean reduced space for utilities like power boxes and fire hydrants, and it might mean an increased snow clearing budget because there is nowhere to store snow - As such, Admin is recommending that these houses only be permitted on one side of a street. Edmonton has a complex policy relating to how they approve these products, but it’s unclear if St. Albert is prepared with a similar policy. Developers have been advocating for Council to permit zero lot lines since before I was elected and this has been a regular topic at all meetings that I’ve participated in with the UDI, the group representing many local developers. Written submissions to the public hearing can be made after 1st reading and members of the public may present in-person on November 30.
Northridge Phase 2 Redistricting (1st reading)
This is to set the plan for an undeveloped area north of Villeneuve Rd. The public hearing is scheduled for November 30.
Kingswood/Land Use Bylaw Public Hearing + 2nd/3rd reading
After a few decades of waiting, we’re making progress on getting a park in Kingswood. This is to set the location of the park in the Area Structure Plan (ASP) now that the developer has released lands for this purpose. Admin has also been working with the public to determine the details of how we’ll develop this park, which is not the subject of this hearing.
This is a brief and incomplete overview of our meetings, with my personal comments sprinkled in - In no way are my opinions representative of the official direction of council or the City of St. Albert. Please let me know of any typos or errors.
