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County not moving forward with a policy making medical reasons a priority for road clearing

The decision was made during the Sept. 17th meeting of council
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By Kevin J. Sabo

For the Advance

The County of Paintearth Council is not moving forward with a policy to make medical conditions a priority a consideration for road maintenance.

The decision was made during the Sept. 17th meeting of council after county CAO Michael Simpson made his report to council.

He had been asked to review how other municipalities are prioritizing their snow removal, how medical conditions factor in, and to bring his findings back to council.

His review of the municipalities brought Simpson back to council with some tough questions.

How would the County, and should the County, medically prioritize the clearing of roads based on medical conditions?

Would County residents self-identify their medical issues?

Should the County be collecting medical information? And how would this information be secured? Would council be willing to pay the extra cost for this level of service?

In his review, Simpson compared the County of Paintearth to 13 other provincial municipalities, finding the majority did not have medical priority as a criterion though several did identify as having ‘unofficial priority’ for medical considerations, similar to what the County is already doing.

“We do it as an unwritten rule right now,” said Simpson.

A document presented at council continued, “Administration can confirm at this time the standing arrangement is that public works will accommodate requests for assistance from East Central Ambulance Association based on available resources.”

In the document, Simpson did note that the unofficial arrangement is reactive in nature and only used during an emergency call-out, not keeping road access open before an incident.

“We are a small community, most of us know if our neighbours are unwell,” said Coun. Diane Elliot.

“It’s never been an issue.”

Council also discussed the bridge repairs that were scheduled for 2019 during the Sept. 17th meeting. During the previous meeting, Public Works Director Bryce Cooke recommended changing the completion date on the bridge projects to 2020 instead of this year, citing possible savings by doing so.

“Alberta Transport hasn’t released any funding for projects yet,” said Cooke during the meeting.

“The contractors will be looking for work next year and could benefit us with lower prices next year.”

In a motion made by Coun. George Glazier, council moved to set the completion date for the bridge work to be completed by Oct. 31st, 2020.

The bridges affected by this decision are the Lake Thelma Bridge, the Guse Bridge and the Rodvang Bridge. The tender for the project will be released later in the fall.

Other highlights of the Sept. 17th meeting of council:

• Outstanding 2015 to 2018 tax rolls worth over $17,000 are being written off, as the properties attached to the taxes have either been sold or are not otherwise accessible.

• County of Paintearth council is offering their support to the County of Stettler in their request to, “Delay or discontinue requirements for Intermunicipal Development Plans and Intermunicipal Collaboration Frameworks.”

• The yard in Halkirk is ready for the construction of a new County shop whenever the budget is available to do so.

• The Ganzly Bridge and Bulwark Bridge will be getting repair work over the next month.

• The County shop in Brownfield was broken into recently; stolen were a chainsaw and post-hole auger.

• Development permits are done from this time last year in the County. However, due to the nature of the existing permits that have been issued, the overall dollar value is up over 2018 levels.

• The web site design for the Crowfoot Crossing Subdivision is underway, potentially being active within the next month.

• Upcoming meetings of Paintearth County Council are Oct. 1st, Oct. 15th Nov. 5th, Nov. 20th, Dec. 3rd and Dec. 17th.