City council meets on Feb. 7, with a continuation on Feb. 9. Council services committee and city council public hearing are on Feb. 8. Here are some of the key items scheduled to be considered:
- The Office of the Integrity Commissioner will provide its annual report. From Sept. 3, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2021, the office received 38 complaints and investigated six.
- Two postponed motions will be presented at city council. The first is by councillors Andrew Knack and Jennifer Rice, who want to see "administration return to city council with options to reduce the expenditure budget by $10,000,000 with a focus on efficiencies in municipal service delivery." The second is by Knack and Coun. Sarah Hamilton, who want to see city administration resume preparing Direct Control (DC1) zoning for the Glenora Heritage Character Area. They say this is aligned with the City Plan goals of increasing density, and want this work to be funded by up to $100,000 from the 2021 council contingency budget.
- Items that were considered at committee last week will come before council. That includes a recommendation from community and public services committee to ask for more study of alcohol at picnic sites in light of a report on last summer's pilot project. It also includes the rapid housing initiative hotel conversion of the Coliseum Inn, and a history of the city's involvement in greenfield land development. The goods and services procurement policy report, which was postponed from the last council meeting, will also be presented.
Here's what else is on the agenda:
- Multiple bylaws are ready for their first reading at council, including one to borrow $44.9 million to construct and finance Nature's Wild Backyard Phase II at the Edmonton Valley Zoo, and another to increase the city's borrowing authority to finance the Lewis Farms Community Recreation Centre and Library.
- A city council public hearing will consider rezoning land in the Chapelle neighbourhood; allowing small-scale infill development in Sherwood; and permitting medium-rise multi-unit housing in Westmount, among others proposals.
- Council services committee will be asked to approve costs for travel and councillor office furniture. There will also be verbal reports on the council vaccination policy and council agenda management.
- Pending motions that had been laid over from the last council meeting include Coun. Michael Janz's motions to explore the possibility of licences for landlords; options to increase fines for excessive vehicle noise; and an exemption process for the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.
- LRT safety is also on the agenda for council, but a report was not available at the time of publishing.
Meetings are streamed live on city council's YouTube channel.
Photo: Council has a full agenda this week. (Mack Male/Flickr)