BARRHEAD - Town of Barrhead councillors appointed a trio of prominent area citizens to the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board (SDAB).
Councillors appointed Coun. Rod Klumph, Gerry St. Pierre, and Dale Kluin during their Jan. 28 meeting. Councillors also approved Cheryl Callihoo as an alternate for a three-year term.
Klumph's appointment is for a one-year term, while the others are for a three.
Planning, economic development, and legislation services director Jenny Bruns told councillors that the municipality inadvertently allowed the board, or its members, to lapse.
She added that, under the Alberta Municipal Government Act (MGA), municipalities must have an appeal board created by bylaw.
"So people can appeal decisions made by the development authority," Bruns said.
The town's SDAB bylaw states the board will consist of a councillor and two community members, not including an alternate. All board members and clerks must have specialized training to carry out their duties.
Bruns said Klumph had been council's last representative board, while St. Pierre, a former Town of Barrhead mayor, has also previously, on multiple occasions, served on the board but added the latter will have to complete a "refresher training course".
She added that Dale Kluin, a former Woodlands County councillor, is familiar with serving on his municipality's SDAB.
"We then asked Cheryl Callihoo [who recently retired as the town's planning and legislative services director] if she would be interested as she has an excellent background in planning and development and, more specifically, in our land-use bylaw," Bruns said.
Bruns said it is becoming the standard for municipalities to combine forces for their SDAB boards.
She added that when she served as the County of Barrhead's development officer, the municipality partnered with the Town of Mayerthorpe for their SDAB.
"It worked really effectively to have that intermunicipal play so that your 'neighbour' isn't hearing your appeal and making decisions, so there is no perception of bias," she said, adding regional SDABs also make it easier to achieve quorum.
Bruns added that she's contacted the Town of Westlock, Westlock County, and the County of Barrhead to see if they are interested in a potential SDAB partnership.
"The Town of Westlock has said yes, while the County of Barrhead is still tied to the Town of Mayerthorpe, so I don't know if they want to change things until that expires, while Westlock County is waiting until they get their new director in place," she said.
Coun. Don Smith asked if the municipality partners with another jurisdiction and how many members the SDAB would have or require.
"Each municipality would try to maintain a solid base of three, and once appointed, they could float as needed between the communities," Bruns said, adding that depending on the complexity, an appeal is usually heard by three SDAB members.
Barry Kerton, TownandCountryToday.com
