OUTLOOK - The town council of Outlook held a regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday night, March 13. Present were councillors Sharon Bruce, Bob Stephenson, Justin Turton, Ryan Husband, and Kyle McLeod, as well as Mayor Maureen Weiterman, Chief Administrative Officer Kevin Trew, and Assistant Administrator Rachel Sillers. Absent was Councillor Kevin Grotheim.
The meeting was broadcast on the Town of Outlook's official Facebook page.
A number of topics and items were discussed, including the following highlights.
Bylaws
Council discussed the machinations of a number of bylaws, noting some of the updates made.
The Town got some feedback and recommendations as it relates to Bylaw 08(2023) Zoning Bylaw, and also went "way over and above" the normal practices of ensuring the public is informed. The second public hearing for this bylaw is scheduled for Tuesday, April 9 in the court room of the Outlook town offices building.
Moving on to Bylaw 01(2024) Council Procedures Bylaw, this one was set for a second reading after some of the language was required to be updated, including the definitions of some positions. After some discussion of the updates, Councillor McLeod made a motion for the bylaw's second reading, which was carried.
Unfinished Business
Discussion continued on the town's grader, stemming from the previous meeting's discussion on acquiring a new or otherwise updated machine. Trew noted that the town has had some conversations with RBC Royal Bank, and they've been preapproved for a $2 million revolving lease line, with an interest rate of 6.45%.
Trew shared that the Town could go with one of three options. One, a used grader for under $300,000, a new grader, or choose to instead repair the existing equipment. Trew said that after discussions with the Town's superintendent Luke Lockhart and Assistant Administrator Sillers, they believed that a used grader would be a good purchase for Outlook.
Councillor Bruce shared that she was uncomfortable looking at buying an updated grader, noting that the Town was already borrowing "left and right" on a number of other initiatives. Councillor McLeod shared Bruce's sentiments, noting that the Town had already done "a lot of borrowing".
Mayor Weiterman noted that with a municipal election coming later this year, she asked if the Town should make such a sizable financial decision now or does the Town wait until after the election.
After further discussion on the costs related to acquiring a used or a new grader, no motion was made on the matter, which defaults to the Town instead repairing the existing equipment.
New Business
On the topic of a non arm's length payment, Councillor Husband made a motion to pay Councillor Turton's travel expenses claim of February 27, in relation to a recent WaterWolf meeting, and the motion was carried by the rest of the council.
Public Hearings
In addition to the set agenda, the meeting also held two public hearings for anyone who wished to speak on the following:
Hearing to Close a Public Lane
There were no delegations present at the meeting who wished to speak on this matter, which dealt with a request from Riverbend Co-op to close the alley located behind the Co-op Gas Bar in Outlook. An email from Riverbend General Manager Greg Sarvis noted that the closure of the alley would allow Riverbend to make further investments with that area, and he also noted that Riverbend would be responsible for any fees incurred for the closure of the back alley, which is estimated to be approximately $3,000.00.
After coming back into the regular council meeting from the hearing portion, Councillor Stephenson made a motion to approve the lane closure, which was carried.
Hearing Regarding Discretionary Use 15 and 16 Reid Crescent
Reid Britnell was present for this hearing, making an appointment to come and talk to Council. Britnell had filled out a development permit application related to a proposed development project located at lots 15 and 16 Reid Crescent in Outlook. His request is to enlarge 15 Reid to 70 feet wide in order to accommodate a new semi-attached house, and then subdivide and sell both units as individual sellable units. Britnell also included imaging of what the location is expected to look like.
Three letters were read during the hearing, noting the concern of nearby residents on Reid Crescent related to the project.
After hearing some more feedback, Council returned to their regular meeting.
A vote was taken on Britnell's project by Council and it was passed.
