LUMSDEN - There were no conflicts of interest declared at the opening meeting of 2022. The CAO added one item before the council approved the agenda.
The Public Works Manager, Jeff Carey, presented his report to the council, noting a water main break that morning on Seventh Avenue. He said he wasn’t surprised due to the fluctuations in temperature. Carey noted that much snow removal occurs by bobcats pushing snow onto road allowances and creating sightlines and potential issues for the spring. He wanted to have a letter sent to the bobcat operators giving them access to the Town’s snow dump.
The CAO noted that they would be sending out assessments to all ratepayers to explain that SAMA will be completing a reinspection this year. This will allow ratepayers to have their 2022 assessments as there may be a significant change next year because of reinspection. Also, people who missed appealing last year can appeal this year.
The Lumsden CAO noted that there are not very many liens registered against properties for outstanding taxes, only six. Merkosky noted the Town has paid out the school taxes at the end of the year and will be providing a report at the next meeting and the financial implications of the payment.
Councillor Verne Barber said he and the Mayor spent some time at Public Works. There was a discussion regarding the water consumption at the rinks. He noted there are two meters—one behind the curling rink and a larger meter that monitored both rinks. Barber said the bill for $9000 is from the larger meter. There was a valve leaking in a line monitored by the smaller meter that has since been repaired.
Mayor Matheson noted that there had never been water measuring before, and nothing had ever been paid for water. The CAO said she liked the meters as they are big consumers, and this way, the utility department sees the revenue as a result. She noted that there hadn’t been a sewer charge set up before, and the Mayor agreed that there should be. The Town of Lumsden is on the hook for the bill for the water and sewer. The Mayor said he was bothered that they lost $10,000 and has a report that says that the valve was open, but they don’t have any more information. Councillor Phillips noted that it isn’t only the town residents that use the rink, but people from outside of the Town, and she would like to see a way to charge for sewer rates. Councilor Tumbach noted sewer usage should be charged as a utility. Council will refer the matter to a subcommittee to look at further.
During the Councillor’s Forum, Mayor Matheson said that vandalism had occurred at the museum during the fall. He queried whether the Town should look at motion lights or cameras in the area as he was concerned about the Town’s responsibility for the items they put up, such as the teepee. Council referred the matter to a subcommittee.
There was some minor discussion regarding the cost of the hall booking. Hall bookings are non-refundable. There was some discussion regarding if the Town was undercharging and the non-refundable policy. The Town retained three bookings from 2021 where people cancelled their dates.
Council passed the first reading of the facility fees bylaw.
