City council is back this week after its break. Before the holidays, it finalized the city's 2022 budget. Here are some of the items that are scheduled to be considered this week:
- An update on the city's public washroom strategy will be received by community and public services committee on Jan. 17. There were more than 90,000 visits to public washrooms recorded in 2021, and this year the city will hire a temporary public washroom co-ordinator.
- An interim review of the bus network redesign will present ridership data, on-time performance, and insights from riders. The report says that Edmonton ridership is steadily rising and is currently at the highest level since the beginning of the pandemic.
- The current lease for the Stanley A. Milner Library is set to expire at the end of 2026. Executive committee is being asked to recommend that the lease be extended by 25 years at a rental rate of $1 per year to ensure continued stability for the downtown library.
Here's what else is on the agenda:
Jan. 17: Community and public services committee
- The Edmonton Heritage Council's annual report will be received for information. In 2021, the EHC "executed three major survey projects towards measuring and evaluating the aims and outcomes in Connections & Exchanges." Grant recommendations are also on the table for the committee to consider recommending to council. The grant funding would be $168,710 for the Alberta Aviation Museum and $38,426 for Société historique francophone de l'Alberta.
- Coun. Andrew Knack will get a response to his inquiry about sidewalk repairs and accessibility issues. Administration is working on a new sidewalk maintenance strategy that will consider where people walk the most, where sidewalks are most needed, and what areas should be a priority for targeted sidewalk maintenance.
Jan. 18: Urban planning committee
- The committee will be informed about plans for a new heritage management strategy and the status of the Glenora Heritage Character Rezoning Project. It's recommended that administration prepare an "unfunded service package" for consideration as part of the 2023-2026 budget process for the new Historic Resource Management Plan.
- It will also receive reports on new financial mechanisms that could be "applied to encourage the preservation and restoration of heritage buildings" as well as how council could support non-residential heritage properties.
Jan. 19: Executive committee
- The Edmonton Screen Industries Office will provide its annual update.
- An update on the city's bridge renewal program indicates plans to replace the Whitemud Creek Pedestrian Bridge, rehabilitate the Kinnaird Bridge, and replace the Latta Bridge in 2023-2026.
- Administration will inform the committee about the procedure related to purchasing open space, with an emphasis on surplus school sites.
- The committee is asked to recommend council approval of parkade construction at The Orange Hub due to structural issues.
- A report on the city's goods and services procurement policy will be presented, including current processes for vendors to apply, timelines for procurement, and policies to ensure vendor lists are fair and transparent.
Meetings are streamed live on city council's YouTube channel.
Photo: City council's executive committee will receive an interim review of Edmonton's bus network redesign this week. (Mack Male/Flickr)