Last week was a quiet one, with most of council and the city manager in Calgary for the AUMA conference. I stayed in town because of conflicting commitments, but I still met with a couple of local business owners about their expansion plans, and I attended St. Albert's first YEG Coffee Outside event.
November 27 agenda highlights:
Environmental Initiatives Grant Recommendations
The Environmental Advisory Committee has brought forward recommendations for grant funding - there are a few really intersecting projects on the table, most with an educational slant. I look forward to seeing the results on these initiatives in the next couple years.
Municipal Inspection Report - Administration Update
In August, St. Albert was presented with The Cuff Report, the results of an inspection of the governance of the city. During our orientation, the new council had the opportunity to spend the better part of a day with George Cuff to look at the results of the inspection, and to consider best practices for good governance. This administrative update will look at the report recommendations, any changes that have been made, and any comments about implementation. I also expect that these recommendations will be considered during our strategic planning session in January.
Motion: Oakmont School Site
Motion: Election Policy
On Election Day, my team jumped in the truck as soon as polls closed at 8pm to take down signs; it was an excruciating two hours before we heard any of the results. I finally heard from a scrutineer at 10:05 saying that I was 4th after 9 polls. At 10:11, she let me know that I was 5th after 10 polls, with two more left. At 10:25, she congratulated me on the win. I don't remember when the public was notified of the results - St. Albert was possibly the slowest Alberta municipality to report results. I believe this motion intends to address concerns about election reporting.
Motion: FOIP Policy Review
Often, my notes for motions include many questions for admin and comments for debate... All my notebook says for this one is "I'll move this." Yay for accountability, openness and transparency!
(There are quite a few other motions, mostly from past council members - the full list is on the agenda.)
2017 Q3 Corporate Report
This is a regular presentation from our city manager.
This is a very brief high-level 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. As always, I also encourage everyone who is able to tune in the the live-stream of the meeting (3pm here) or attend in-person (3rd floor of St. Albert Place, hang a right getting out of the elevator). You can also register to speak if you have information to present to council. Full agenda packages can be found on the stalbert.ca website.