By Kevin Sabo For the Advance
Like any community, large or small, Castor has many different bylaws and policies in the books, which need to be reviewed regularly by council.
With an eye to the future, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Sandi Jackson has begun the process of bringing policies in need of review to council, with the goal of having them all reviewed before she retires April 1, 2019. The latest bylaw looked at by council is the utilities bylaw, which has some proposed amendments.
The bylaw, which sets rates and penalties for all water and gas in town, is looking at adjustments to three areas, the biggest of them being an addition of not allowing occupied businesses or dwellings to be cut off by occupant or landlord if the property is occupied.
“We’re not allowed to shut utilities off,” said CAO Jackson. “It’s against the law.”
Another proposed amendment is a change involving gas risers on properties. Currently there is no fee for unused risers in town, however, even a local business charges a fee of one half the yearly operating cost for an idle riser, and Castor is looking at something along these lines as well.
The last amendment that council is considering is the cost of a riser removal if requested, and the cost of subsequently reconnecting a service. The proposal will see the cost of a riser removal increase to cost recovery for the removal. Bringing in a new gas riser onto a property has a fee of $3,000 minimum set through a current town policy and nothing written in the bylaw to that effect, so council is considering a recommendation to transfer that minimum from the policy and incorporating it as a bylaw.
Other meeting highlights from the July 9 regular council meeting:
• There was a public hearing on Bylaw 1059: Advertising Bylaw, no members of the public came. The bylaw subsequently passed third reading and was enacted during the meeting.
• Former Coronation RCMP Sgt. Darcy McGunigal e-mailed CAO Jackson informing her and council that Cpl. Jason Smith will be assuming command in several weeks.
• The Alberta Utilities Commission notified the town of an application to convert Battle River Generating Station Unit #5 from coal-fired to natural gas-fired. Submissions against the application must be received by the AUC by July 25.
• Town officials had a construction close-out meeting with ISL Engineering on June 27 now that the 51st improvement project is complete.