Regular Council Meeting February 16, 2021
Agenda highlights
Outside Agency Grant Program St. Albert Senior's Association
As expected, the Community Living Standing committee recommended to Council that we waive the obligation of the St. Albert Seniors Association to repay 2020 grant funds and that we release the $23,962 currently being withheld. These funds had to be considered because staffing costs were unexpectedly low in 2020 due to layoffs caused by pandemic response, which meant the minimum staffing costs to receive the grant were not achieved.
Trial Period - Free Transit for Seniors
The pilot program giving low-income seniors free local transit was interrupted due to the pandemic response, so Administration is recommending that we extend the pilot to July 1, after which Admin will provide us with an update about the program. Currently, 33 seniors are enrolled in this program. I have advised Council that I will suggest that a grace period be added after the July 1 pilot cut-off so that these seniors are not left in an awkward position while we look at the data and consider whether to make this a permanent program.
Preliminary Year End Surplus & Reserve Transfer
Administration is expecting operating surplus of $10.3 million for the 2020 budget. They are recommending that we transfer $2.6M to the capital reserve and about $7.7M to the Stabilization fund, which supports unexpected costs (like my suggestion to expend free transit to low-income seniors) and to limit increases to taxation.
“The City of St. Albert has received ~$7.6 million from the Province of Alberta through the Municipal Operating Support Transfer (MOST) grant program which is directed towards the additional costs and lost revenues associated with the municipal response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The internal savings generated through prudent financial and operational decisions in 2020 are now able to be directed towards reserves to enable gradual recovery in 2021 and beyond. The remainder of the surplus is generally in alignment with the quarter 3 forecast presented to Council in November 2020.
As part of the 2021 budget process, Council approved $2 million of these generated savings to offset the 2021 tax rate. For the amount being recommended to be transferred to the Stabilization fund, this $2 million will be immediately transferred to the 2021 operating budget leaving a reduced amount in the fund. As we are still being impacted by the pandemic in 2021, financial recovery is expected to be slow therefore we will likely require continued contributions from the Stabilization reserve to bridge the time to revenue recovery. “
Municipal Development Plan - Public Hearing Date
Our new MDP has the approval of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region Board and the public hearing date for the adoption will be set for March 15. The draft MDP is available in our December 21 agenda package.
Traffic Bylaw amendments - 2nd & 3rd readings
We will hear from residents through the public hearing process prior to considering changes to our traffic bylaw, including:
Changing residential speed limits to 40km/h throughout St. Albert
Establishing a Time of Day for Playground Zones (8 am – 8 pm, from April 1 to October 31)
Removing the existing playground zones on Deerbourne Drive (south) & Forest Drive
Increasing speed limits from 50 km/h to 60 km/h at Bellerose Dr from Evergreen Dr to N Limit, Sir Winston Churchill Ave from Levasseur Rd to Riel Dr, Dawson Rd from Giroux Rd to McKenney Ave, Sturgeon Rd from Beacon Cres (S) to Boudreau Rd, Sir Winston Churchill Ave from Poirier Ave to N Limit.
Increasing speed limits from 60 km/h to 70 km/h on Meadowview Dr from RR 260 to the west limit.
Removal of 30 km/h zones on Cunningham Rd from South of Sycamore to Stanley Dr, Sturgeon Road from Burns St to Bishop St, Mission Ave from South of Malmo Ave to North of St Vital Ave, Meadowview Dr west of RR tracks, Grosvenor Blvd from Gaylord Pl to south of Grenfell Ave, Grenfell Ave from Gatewood Ave to Greenwhich Cres.
(For more detail, please see the presentation slides on page 169-176 of the January 25 report.)
Temporary Disc Golf Course ($20,500)
This motion from Councillor Hansen is to set up a temporary disc golf course for the 2021 season and to look into options for a permanent course by Q3 of 2021. There is already a guerilla course set up in Langholm Park, so the intent of the first part of this motion might be to continue at this site with improved baskets & signage. This continuation is supported by administration while other uses (baseball, soccer) are not active. Admin expects the temporary course at this location to cost $5,500 and a feasibility study for a permanent site to cost $15,000. My only concern with this motion is the potential conflicts between user groups if team sports are not cancelled again this year, and whether administration has the capacity to take on this work under tight timelines.
Lacombe Park Lake - Fenced area for small dogs ($?)
This motion is to direct Administration to construct a fenced-in area for small dogs at Lacombe Park. Administration is already considering small-dog areas in a 2021 strategy/research project, which would result in potential capital projects in the 2022 budget that consider size requirements, amenities, and site access for small dogs, potential site locations, design and costing options, risk identification and potential public engagement expectations.
Councillor Hansen’s dog, wearing her best Pride gear a couple of summers ago. (The only small dog photo I could find in my camera roll!)
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. Members of the public can also register to speak if they have information to present to council. Full agenda packages can be found on the stalbert.ca website.