M.D. of Taber council briefs for March

By Cole Parkinson
Vauxhall Advance
cparkinson@tabertimes.com

The following are selected briefs from the Municipal District of Taber’s regular meeting held on Mar. 12. Coun. Brian Brewin was absent from the meeting.

SAEWA Membership

After SAEWA’s delegation last month, discussion around membership with the organization was brought back to council.

The 2019 annual membership fee is $3,801.69 based on a member per capita fee of $0.53. Council voted unanimously to pay the 2019 membership fee.

Bylaw No. 1945 Intermunicipal Subdivision and Development Appeal Board

M.D. administration believes three members would be appropriate for the board while a five-person board is another option. 

With a three-person board as presented in the bylaw, only one board member can be an elected official and the other two would be non-elected officials. Administration stated the last appeal for the M.D. was over two years ago. 

All three readings were passed unanimously.

Irrigation Installations in M.D. Road Allowances

With Bow River Irrigation District expansion, the M.D. has received several requests to install irrigation mainline pipe within the municipal right of way. 

Administration had denied requests in the past due to reasons of safety and maintaining lands in relatively encumbered condition for future road improvement work. Administration also stated the current policy lacks a clearly defined position on the matter.

While they had received many requests, administration’s recommendation to council was to continue with not granting permission to utilize municipal road allowances for installations of irrigation infrastructure. Council was also wary of allowing this, especially if road repairs were needed during the summer months and farmers would be relying on the irrigation.

Because of this, council made a motion to go with the recommended option and passed it unanimously.

M.D. Cultivated Lease Surrender – SE 27-8-17-4 

An M.D.-owned cultivated quarter at SE 27-8-17 W4 was surrendered due to the previous lessee not needing the land anymore. 

Two options were provided to council — tender leasehold rights by way of public tender to M.D.residents and enter into a cultivation lease with the successful bidder, or fee simple land sale by way of sealed tender with no resident restrictions. 

Administration recommended to re-tender the quarter for a fixed non-reoccurring lease term. 

A motion was made to re-tender the quarter for lease on a three-year term and was passed unanimously.

M.D. Park Irrigation

The Ag Service Board has identified the need for a more reliable source of irrigation water to the M.D. Park rather than pulling from the Oldman River.

M.D. administration has looked into tying into Taber Irrigation District infrastructure and brought forward two options with similar costs. 

Both costs of 1500m of 200mm PVE pipe installation, but Option One crosses four high-pressure gas lines operated by CNRL, while Option Two crosses two CNRL pipes, an overhead power, a septic dump station and a large electrical facility. 

The first option is also a more gradual slope down into the river valley, while the second is a more aggressive slope. 

Total cost estimated costs for both was at $118,600, with option one being recommended.

With 2020 being the timeframe for construction and installation, council made a motion to move talks to 2020 budget discussions and carried it unanimously.

2019 Roadside Cleanup 

M.D. council was recommended by the Ag Service Board to amend the 2019 municipal budget to include $10,000 for the roadside cleanup program. 

In 2017, eight different roads were cleaned and ASB staff were on site to assist the groups working. 

A motion was made to do roadside cleanup in 2019 and was carried unanimously. Another motion was made to amend the budget for $10,000 for roadside cleanup and was also passed unanimously.

RCMP February Report

Impaired driving / 24 hour / 30 day suspension 1 (4), assaults 1 (3), break and enter 0 (0), thefts 3 (3), threats 0 (0), mischief 0 (6), Controlled Drugs and Substances Act 1 (0), other criminal code / other statues 13 (17), assistance to police / other agencies / general public 12 (4), 911 hang ups 20 (20), false alarms 2 (3), abandoned vehicles 7 (0), animal calls 2 (3), suspicious persons / vehicles 4 (3), lost and found property 3 (0), firearms act 0 (0), check stops 0 (0), traffic complaints 32 (13), traffic collisions 10 (28), bylaw complaints 0 (0), admin files 5 (9), total 116 (116). 

CPO February Report 

Calls for service (year to date) animal calls 0 (1), assistance to other agencies 1 (5), bylaw 1 (3), fire response 0 (1), property checks 1 (1), request for patrols/traffic stops 7 (9), school visits 1 (2). Total calls for service 66, total patrol routes hit 233, violation tickets issued 6, warnings provided 16. 

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