Community and public services committee meets on April 11, and urban planning committee meets on April 12. There is also a special audit committee meeting on April 12 and an executive committee meeting on April 13. Here are some of the key items on the agenda this week:
- Administration is seeking approval to begin preparing district plans and a district general policy in alignment with its move toward ensuring Edmontonians can meet their needs within a 15-minute walk, bicycle ride, or transit trip from home. This item will first go to urban planning committee but will require council approval to move forward. If all goes according to plan, the city will begin further engagement and information sharing sessions in June 2022 until the project is wrapped up at the end of 2023.
- Executive committee will hear about a new initiative to support businesses in the city, which aims to help Edmontonians who are opening or expanding a business. Business Friendly Edmonton will provide resources and support in an effort to keep businesses operating here and attract investment. There are also opportunities for startups that want to test their ideas on a larger scale in a municipal context.
- Administration will provide a report to the community and public services committee on opportunities for the city to provide support to Edmonton-based women's shelters. The report found that mental health and cultural support, nursing resources, and help for those who are precariously housed due to immigration status are all areas that could use one-time funding. Other opportunities to strengthen the city's support for women's shelters include ongoing operational funding, increasing awareness of capital funding, writing letters of support, and more.
- Community and public services committee will get an update on the problem property initiative, which aims to address properties that create chronic issues in the communities they're in. There are more than 250 properties currently identified, and a problem properties framework will replace the current action plans for the 2023-2026 budget cycle.
Here are some of the other notable agenda items:
- The city is working on initiatives to improve access to permits and licensing. Upcoming changes will impact business owners who are moving into a new space or opening a business, contractors doing commercial or residential renovations, and homeowners who are completing renovations.
- A semi-annual amendment to the speed zones bylaw will go to the community and public services committee to "reflect changes in the mobility network, including new road design and alignment with safety priorities such as playground roles and the city-wide default 40 km/hour speed limit."
- Urban planning committee will look at current safety, accessibility, and equity policies for active and public transportation. This comes as the city is developing traffic accommodation plans, but administration has advised that no changes are currently recommended.
- The High Level Bridge is slated for rehabilitation that should begin in the next budget cycle, and a report to executive committee this week outlines how some of that planning could look as well as how the city could accept charitable donations or private funding for capital projects like this one.
- Urban planning committee will get an update on the zoning bylaw renewal initiative, which is important in fulfilling the City Plan, as well as its four projects. A new zoning bylaw has been written, and now the city is working to rezone land to align with those changes.
- A special audit committee meeting will cover the city's 2021 consolidated financial statements, which will also need to be approved by council. It will also look at KPMG's external audit findings as part of that work.
City council will also hold a non-regular meeting on April 13 to receive annual reports from several boards and committees, including the Edmonton historical board, accessibility advisory committee, anti-racism advisory committee, and others.
Meetings are streamed live on city council's YouTube channel.
Photo: Administration will seek authorization to begin working on district plans for Edmonton, which will help people more easily access their needs through walking, biking, or transit. (Mack Male/Flickr)