What looked to be a record-short meeting of the Carlyle town council drew out into heated debate that had one councillor depart the meeting before its completion.
Initial business of the council passed quickly as the usual matters and reports were read and voted through with little debate.
One bylaw was voted through three readings, signed and sealed, however the bylaw was only a house-cleaning bylaw, amending existing bylaws to update and correct their content to present realities within the town.
Discussions regarding the proposed annexation of land from the RM were also had, and the date of the public hearing was confirmed for June 25th.
A request for a street closure near the Pentecostal Assembly was heard and approved with minor amendments.
The Assembly has an open air concert, and wanted to ensure the space was available for audience members.
A brief discussion was also held about potential daycare spaces within the town.
The town had been considering a town-financed daycare option over the past year, however the plan is still evolving.
A request from town services to purchase a new riding mower was put on hold, due to the low level of available funds, thanks to the tight budget for the 2012 year.
The mower under consideration would have cost $7,500.
Some comment was made at the weekly water report numbers, showing the town's average usage has grown to between 800-900 cubic meters of water per week.
This would represent a cube of water one-half mile tall, wide, and deep.
Councillors questioned whether people with RO systems were aware that the system had to be shut off completely, and the water supply to the RO system shut off as well to avoid water waste.
The last of the regular agenda items discussed was a letter requesting some form of solid ground be added to the play park at the corner of Coteau Ave. and 1st St. West.
The ground within the play park is all sand, and the complaint spoke of difficulties for older persons to negotiate through the park when bringing children.
The matter will be considered in greater detail in the future.
The sparks began to fly at the meeting when an agenda addendum was brought forward as the last item of the night.
A letter was received at town office regarding the parking of privately owned vehicles on the municipal reserve land to the North of Lion's Park, behind Carlyle Ave.
This land is public land, and it was admitted by many that it had been used for storage of fifth wheelers by some residents for some time.
However, when the complaint was made, a total of 13 vehicles were parked in the space, some commercial, some privately owned, and one registered as being from North Battleford.
Between that, and some debris seen on the land, it seemed that many councillors were concerned about the disposition of the public land.
It was tabled that the letter was a complaint, and therefore the town had to act on the complaint, and the action should take the form of a letter informing vehicle owners that their vehicle had to be relocated.
The issue grew contentious as one councillor held that, as the area had been used as a parking place for years, it would be ill advised to letter the vehicle owners.
Responding to this, other councillors countered that, while they would just as much like to leave 'sleeping dogs lay,' a complaint had nonetheless been received, and the council was therefore bound to act on it.
The response was that the initial contact from the resident was not a complaint, but rather an informational letter, informing the town of the use of the municipal reserve land as a parking area.
The debate swung back and forth until, in anger, Councilman George Anderson left the meeting.
Following Anderson's departure it was decided to letter the vehicle owners to relocate their vehicles.
