Last week + Regular Council meeting September 23, 2019
Last week
Midtown Ground Breaking
Congratulations to Averton for starting construction of Midtown, across from the Enjoy Centre!
Terry Fox Run
I was honoured to represent Council and start the run for the Terry Fox run on a beautiful Sunday morning - it was the perfect day to bike down to Lion’s Park!
Intermunicipal Collaboration Framework meeting
St. Albert and Sturgeon County Council members met to further our discussions about the provincially-mandated agreement that is being draft to address potential collaboration opportunities related to recreation.
Homeland Housing
I was out in Legal this week for our regular Homeland Housing board meeting - We reaffirmed that our headquarters will remain in Morinville and directed our staff to reappoint the external auditors that were used for 2018.
Alberta Museum Association Awards
Congratulations to the Musée Héritage Museum for being selected by the Alberta Museums Association as the recipient of the Robert R. Janes Award for Social Responsibility! It was wonderful to sit with the St. Albert Arts & Heritage team that made this a reality.
Agenda highlights
2019 Audit Plan
Our auditors, KPMG, will be presenting their plan for the annual external audit. Findings regarding our Municipal Financial Information Return, Family and Community Support Services, and consolidated financial statements will be presented by April 30, 2020. They will also report on the Local Authorities Pension Plan by June 30, 2020.
Community Amenities - Land Matter
We have a long list of presenters registered to speak regarding our discussion about land for community amenities, including MLA Nally, the chair of the St. Albert Public Schools Board, representatives from sports groups, and two developers.
The report that is being presented by Administration is to discuss options for appropriate land for developing a range of community amenities; This discussion is not related to specific projects or the prioritization of which amenities (swimming pool facility, ice rinks, fire hall 4, etc.) will be built. (In terms of recreation priorities, I still think a pool has to be our top priority, followed by ice - but that’s a discussion for after we’ve selected the best site, planned for Q1 2020.)
The sites being considered on Monday were based on considerations regarding “compatibility between facilities on the same site, land cost, servicing costs, how much of the cost would potentially be recoverable, ability to spur non-residential growth by providing servicing, maximum extent of proposed annexation, potential growth strategies, etc”. Essentially, we want to maximize the benefit to the community, minimize the cost to residents, and prepare a long-term plan that allows a staged approach to develop a number of ammenities. The three sites that have been selected as viable options include:
Badger Lands (city-owned)
Estimated Net Cost (Land & Servicing): $7.1M ($23.5M cost less $16.4M recoverable)
Erin Ridge North (developer would gift approximately 30 acres of land)
Estimated Net Cost (Land & Servicing): $14.34M ($51.1M cost less $36.76M recoverable)
Range Road 260 (developer would gift approximately 30 acres of land)
Estimated Net Cost (Land & Servicing): $ 8.0M ($24.5M cost less $16.5M recoverable)
This is a 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.
