Fire study, renovations to North Lake Fire Hall, and Capital Renewal Plan also on agenda
The mayor and councillors for Lakeland Ridges began their Jan. 12 meeting discussing the municipality’s SPCA contract. The SPCA says it is willing to resume the contract at the previously quoted price of $9,162 per year if the council enacts an animal control bylaw beforehand.
Councillor Patrica Budd raised concerns about the cost of the number of calls.
“That seems like quite a lot of money. They’re asking for $9,000 for less than a dozen dog complaints a year,” said Budd.
The municipality has averaged 6 to 12 animal control calls per year.
Other members of the council say the municipality is obligated to provide dog control under provincial legislation. Questions about including other animals in the bylaw also came up.
The council has agreed to the contract with the SPCA, but before signing it officially, they will consider adding animals such as cats and livestock to the bylaw.
Fire service study
Councillors reviewed the possibility of commissioning an external fire service study after a recent presentation. While members agreed the proposal was solid, several said the municipality needs a clearer sense of what questions the study should answer before committing funds.
Fire Chief Chris Foster told council the fire departments support an independent review, adding it would remove bias and provide evidence-based recommendations. He also noted new information was available regarding fire truck service life extensions, which he plans to verify before presenting his findings to the council.
Council decided to schedule a meeting with the Public Safety Committee and fire chiefs in the coming weeks.
North Lake Fire Hall floor
Council is assessing repairs to the floor of North Lake Hall. Discussion centred on whether the Duradeck option would withstand daily vehicle use. Municipal leaders agreed to wait for more information from Beaver Construction before making a decision.
Capital Renewal Plan
A draft of the municipality’s Capital Renewal Plan has been submitted to the Department of Local Government. The current version sets aside first-year funding for the fire service study, with the remaining funds in subsequent years directed to street repairs.
Code of Conduct bylaw amendment
Lakeland Ridges Council has completed the first and second readings of an amendment to its code of conduct bylaw to comply with provincial regulations.
Complaints must be brought to an open council meeting rather than handled in closed session. The final reading is expected in February.
Voyant Alert
Councillors were advised of a new notification system through the Western Valley Regional Service Commission. Voyent Alert is a multi-purpose communication service and alerting app designed to support municipalities in notifying residents about both critical emergencies and day-to-day updates.
A six-month promotional campaign will begin Jan 29, and will include newspaper ads and radio announcements. The municipality is encouraging residents to sign up for the alert service.
Residents can receive notifications via:
Mobile App: Download the Voyent Alert app from the Apple Store or Google Play Store
Text Message: Register to receive SMS alerts
Email: Sign up to get email notifications
Voice Call: Opt in to receive voice alerts
Click the link below to get started:
