City Council recap – August 6, 2024

The following decisions were made by City Council at their regular meeting on Tuesday, August 6:

CONSENT AGENDA

Zoning Bylaw Amendment 3357/RR-2024 Proposal to Rezone 4605 63 Street II to IC

• City Council approved first reading to a request to amend the Zoning Bylaw to rezone a parcel (4605 63 Street A & B) in Riverside Light Industrial Park from II Industrial Business Service to IC Industrial Commercial (Mixed-Use) Zone. A Public Hearing followed by consideration of Second and Third Reading will occur at future Council meeting.

REPORTS

Automated Traffic Enforcement: Mobile Speed Enforcement (for information)

• City Council received a report reviewing the current operation of The City’s Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE) program. Municipal Policing will return in the fall to propose a comprehensive approach for traffic safety enforcement. More information .

Budget 2025 Process (for information)

• Council received a report outlining the process for the Budget 2025 service level review and prioritization. As just one of the process changes for Budget 2025, Council was surveyed on The City’s 275 service levels, with the intent to understand their appetite of exploring possible changes in service of reducing expenses.
• This work is necessary as we look at new ways and opportunities to balance the budget. We estimate $20 million is needed to balance the budget in 2025. While some of this can be achieved through property tax and utility user fees, we need to consider additional ways to reduce expenses to balance the budget.
• This report is an update on the process and will lead into a formal report to Council on September 3. On September 3, Council will review further information on the service levels and provide formal direction to administration on what to include in the budget recommendations in November. No decisions on service level changes will be made on September 3.

For more information about overall changes to the Budget 2025, see our

Kinsmen Community Arenas funding request (decision)

• Council has approved the $350,000 budget request to replace the chiller at the Kinsmen Community Arenas; this will be funded through the Capital Projects Reserve. Administration will order the part, which is expected to arrive in 14 weeks, then the contractor will take two weeks to install, then staff will install ice, taking an additional ten days. If there are no delays or issues, the arenas are anticipated to open mid-November at the earliest.
• Administration is working to revise rental permitting that has been previously shared with sport groups –the majority of rental permits will need to be revised with a proportionate reduction in ice access across all community rental groups. Revised permits are anticipated to be back to Sport Partners by August 30.
• The chiller is the main piece of equipment that allows ice to be made at the twin arenas. It cools brine water and provides cooling. The brine water's chemical properties keep it from freezing. To freeze the rink surface, the system pumps chilled brine water through the pipes and then into the ice-bearing concrete slab.