Last week & Regular Council Meeting February 21, 2023
Last week highlights
Seniors Advisory Committee (SAC) Meeting
It was great being back at SAC - Councillors Hughes stepped in last month as the alternate because I was feeling very rough with my first bout of Covid! The big agenda item for the February meeting was discussing the future of the committee. One of the frustrations of the committee has been that they haven’t been given much to advise on from a senior’s lens and they want to figure out the best way to ensure Council (and administration) can ensure that a seniors’ perspective is considered in decision-making. They’ll continue the discussion next month.
Staff Appreciation Event
It’s no secret that I think City of St. Albert staff are outstanding, so it was a delight to attend our first in-person staff appreciation & long-service award event since 2019. I started volunteering with the city in 1996, worked for the city from 1997-2008 (with a break for a 2-year stay in NZ!), and volunteered again from 2014 until I was elected in 2017… so I’ve gotten to know so many of the people who make St. Albert an incredible place to live. It’s always wonderful seeing our staff celebrated.
Agenda highlights
This might be the lightest regular meeting agenda I’ve commented on in my 5+ years of highlighting discussions/decisions of note…
Business Licence Bylaw (3 readings)
These are the amendments to the business licence bylaw that we discussed (briefly) last week at Committee of the Whole, to update regulations for cannabis retailers to align with provincial guidelines & best practices, and to allow schools to bring in special educators without them needing a business licence.
Internal Audit Committee (IAC)
This is an update, with no decision needed, regarding out IAC. Per a recommendation from the committee last year, Admin has retained an external consultant to develop a multi-year Internal Audit Workplan.
CAO Performance Appraisal
Typically, this is done about once per year & always in-camera.
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 register to speak if they have information to present to council. Full agenda packages can be found on the stalbert.ca website.