Council for the town of Lumsden met for their regular meeting on January 26. There was one conflict of interest declared by Councillor Jenelle Brennan for a list of accounts item.
Mayor and Council Forum
New Portable Classroom
Councillor Verne Barber, who is also on the Prairie Valley School Division Board of Directors, reported a new portable classroom at Lumsden Elementary School had been approved. There will be a significant amount of work in July and August to have it installed. The plan is to make enough space for a second portable simultaneously, and as such, the large play structure may need to be moved.
Also, Barber reported that each year School Divisions submit their priority building list to the provincial government. The top three priorities for Prairie Valley are a high school at White City, remodelling of the Greenall High School in Balgonie, a third elementary school at White City, a renovation at Lumsden High School and an additional elementary school for Lumsden.
Councillor Barber added the French immersion program at Lumsden Elementary is expanding to grade 8 next year. The following year the first group of French immersion students will be moving to the High school.
Heritage Home Residents and Staff Vaccinated
Councillor Byron Tumbach, who sits on the Lumsden District Heritage Board, reported that on January 18, staff and residents received their first dose of the Pfizer vaccine. 24 out of 27 residents and 39 out of 55 staff received the vaccine. Tumbach further reported that Sask Health Authority outbreak protocol now restricts window and shelter visits. He expected the restrictions to be in place until COVID-19 numbers plateau.
Mayor to meet with Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association
Mayor Matheson said he received an email from Saskatchewan Media Production Industry Association (SMPIA). He explained that Lumsden has been the location of a few productions and that at one time, the government was supportive of it until they removed the money and put it elsewhere. Matheson said that SMPIA is making a push to revive the economy for both their field and communities. He explained Lumsden is in a favourable environment for film production because of the beauty of the area and its proximity to the city. The Mayor said he and the Community Coordinator were planning on meeting with SMPIA and any other councillor who wished to attend. He felt they are asking for the Council to petition the government to revive the film tax credit in Saskatchewan.
A petition submitted to Council
There was a delegation from Adam Tropin who presented a petition with 33 signatures to Council on behalf of Fawn Ridge subdivision residents. He described being shocked to see the developer had subdivided space he and the other residents were promised to be municipal reserve green space into four lots. Tropin said every home on their crescent had signed the petition. The Mayor said they would discuss the petition in a long term strategic planning closed session later in the meeting. As a side note, the town plans for a new subdivision south of the Fawn Ridge subdivision and the plans include a large park.
A Potential New Option to Pay
Council discussed a new option for ratepayers to make payments called ‘OptionPay.’ The Finance Manager, Ryan Haresign and administration staff completed a review of the service. He said it’s a credit card processing service, and the RM of Corman Park currently uses it. The town’s benefit would be no processing or monthly fees as they would be charged to the user. Ratepayers would benefit because it is an additional way to make payments such as taxes, by-law enforcement, utility bills and other accounts receivable invoices. Haresign said they couldn’t find a downside to the product. Council made a motion to approve. Haresign would also be presenting the OptionPay information to the RM of Lumsden council at their next meeting.
Virtual Rooms
As many councils and administrators get used to holding meetings over Zoom, they continue to discover the virtual meetings’ features, simplifying how the meetings are conducted. For example, when a councillor declares a conflict of interest, they will leave the meeting for the conflict’s portion. When meetings were held in council chambers, the councillor would physically leave the room until the item is dealt with, and then they are called back into the room. Since meetings went virtual, many councillors have been leaving rooms in their homes, which has caused some issues when trying to recall them to the meeting. Usually, someone has to text or phone them. Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Monica Merkosky, was able to find a function in Zoom where she could place the councillor in a virtual waiting room, which disables their ability to see, hear or appear in the meeting until she determines they can return.
Hall Rebooking Fee
Council approved a hall rebooking fee of 50$. The new fee arose when hall dates started to be rebooked continuously due to the pandemic. Bookers have been attempting to secure dates based on potential changes to health regulations allowing more attendees for their events. The fee will cover the administration cost incurred by the municipality.
Meetings of Council are open to the public and are available over Zoom, which is accessible virtually or over the phone. Invitations are available by contacting the office. The next meeting is on February 9 at 6:30 pm.
Jennifer Argue, Civic Reporter, LMT - Local Journalism Initiative reporter
Note: These reports are abridged for content