Here are some items to come out of the Monday, Jan. 8 council meeting in North Battleford:
Changes are likely to the city’s zoning bylaw with respect to approved private service homes in the city.
The zoning bylaw currently regulates “personal care homes” as discretionary uses in all residential zones.
The issue is that approved private care homes don’t fit with this definition. They aren’t businesses and do not employ staff; instead, they serve as homes for those with disabilities.
Iris Miller-Dennis, from SAPH Inc., appeared before council to lobby for changes to the bylaw. She explained approved private service homes are private homes that provide housing for people experiencing wide-ranging disabilities, which also includes mental health and addictions.
City manager Jim Puffalt said this was an “inadvertent change in the zoning bylaw that we should fix.”
Council voted to authorize preparation of a bylaw that would amend the zoning bylaw; the amendments include adding “private service homes” in the interpretations, and adding private care homes as permitted uses in all residential zones.
An extensive public notice period is planned and a public hearing held before the bylaw changes come to council again and are passed.
Also at city hall Monday, a public hearing was held on a zoning bylaw amendment to allow freestanding signs on properties located in the C1 zoning district with a site width of less than 20 metres.
The reason for the change is to support commercial marketing and encourage people to shop and do business downtown, while complementing the rest of the core. No opposition or delegations appeared at Monday’s meeting on the issue; the bylaw changes will come back to council at a later time.
Another item that came before council Monday was the request from owners of 702-102nd Street, the former Armoury-BTEC building, to purchase an undeveloped laneway at the site. The lot is surrounded by four other lots all owned by the same owners, Taylor and Tady Holdings Ltd., and is located at the back of where the building is located.
Council passed a resolution to direct administration to sell that lot to Taylor and Tady Holdings Ltd. for the established $3 per square foot rate.
Council also received correspondence from the North Battleford City Kinsmen Band to encourage donations to pay the costs of improvements of $300,000 of leasehold improvements at their band hall in 2017. The renovations were a band initiative, but the facility itself is city-owned. Donations are being made out to the city to cover the costs; the city is issuing charitable tax receipts for those donations.
The Snow Angel program is back for another year and there were eight nominations received for the efforts of community members to clear sidewalks for neighbours in November and December.
A draw was made for a $50 Visa Gift Card and Blair and Jennifer Atcheynum were the winners.
The city has renewed its permit to operate a sewage works with the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency. It is effective Feb. 1 2018 and runs to May 1, 2021. Terms of the permit are much the same as previously with only minor exceptions.
Also, an amended Airport Operations Manual has been approved by the city to be sent to Transport Canada for approval.
Finally, Mayor Bater congratulated both Cathy Richardson and Emily Simon for their recognition as Citizen and Jr. Citizen of the Year.
The next scheduled council meeting at City Hall is Jan. 22. Council members were also scheduled to meet at Planning Committee on Jan. 15.
