Coming up at council

Here are some of the notable agenda items coming before city council for the week of Feb. 1-5:

• Administration recommends entering into agreements with EPCOR Utilities Inc. to move the Downtown District Energy Initiative forward. The system would be owned by the City of Edmonton with EPCOR responsible for its installation and operation, though the city would "pay EPCOR for the capital and operating costs over the term of the agreements" and administration notes that "further operational funding may be required."
• With no funding committed to preserve or upgrade the historic Hangar 11 at Blatchford, administration recommends proceeding with the sale of the property to a developer that submitted an unsolicited proposal in March 2020. The new owner would be required to designate the building as a Municipal Historic Resource.
• The High Level Line Society is seeking funding for its operations and to complete a design study for the project. Administration says $85,000 could come from the city via an operating grant or from the 2021 Council Contingency Fund.
• Administration recommends amending the Community Standards Bylaw and Public Places Bylaw to include a $1,000 fine for graffiti on private and public property without permission.

Other agenda items coming up include:

• In addition to the 25 surplus school building sites within the city's inventory, there are 92 sites planned for future schools on land that is "currently either vacant, under assembly, or in future areas."
• Work on implementing the City Plan in 2021 will focus on updating business plans, training and knowledge-building to build awareness among city staff, developing a change management strategy, and establishing interim measures and targets.
• An update on the Zoning Bylaw Renewal project says the new zoning bylaw will be drafted this year, with another update scheduled for June 2021 and a preliminary draft to be presented to Urban Planning Committee in Q1 2022.
• Financial tools identified to help fund the cost of the proposed Rollie Miles Recreation Centre include a local improvement tax, fundraising, capital partnerships, naming rights, user fees, and operating partnerships.
• EPCOR Water Services Inc. will present its 2021 operating plan. Later this month it will submit its performance based rates application to set customer rates for water, wastewater treatment, and drainage services effective April 1, 2022.