ATHABASCA — Athabasca County councillors will be back at it this month with their first meeting since the New Year. Councillors are set to gather around the table in council chambers Jan. 9 at 9:30 a.m., and its business as usual.
After the review, additions and approval of the agenda and three sets of minutes from the last time council met Dec. 12, councillors will hear a presentation from Kurt Deutscher about the grading of private driveways during summer months, as well as the removal of trees along road allowances.
Councillors will also review a report on the extent of council’s participation in the conversation and advocacy around the Rochester school viability study. In a previous meeting, Coun. Ashtin Anderson requested a report detailing council’s role in the analysis, and CAO Bob Beck’s report breaks down the group’s involvement in three distinct components: the county’s role in general school viability; the county’s role as a stakeholder in relation to the Rochester school library; and how the viability study and the Aspen View’s decision may impact the Joint Use and Planning Agreement for Rochester School.
Three draft bylaws will be up for councillor review and discussion — in addition to a procedural bylaw and a rezoning outline plan, the council code of conduct bylaw will back for a possible third reading after councillors voted to send the document back to legal counsel following the Dec. 12 meeting. Review of the bylaw began after the Aug. 31 council meeting, when a multi-part motion to accept a third-party investigator’s recommendations for a previous code of conduct breach by Coun. Gary Cromwell was accepted.
Also on the table for discussion are the potential closure of the CIBC bank branch in Boyle, as well as Athabasca County Fire Services participation in the Medical First Response Program, an AHS initiative that allows municipal fire services to assist local EMS.
The meeting will also feature six closed-session topics of discussion, ranging from intergovernmental relations and advice from officials to third party business proposal and board appointments.
Athabasca County council meetings are open to the public and can be watched live on Athabasca County’s YouTube page. The agenda package for the meeting can be found here.
