Bashaw council has withdrawn a nuisance penalty issued against a community resident. The decision was made during the Aug. 20 council meeting following a delegation.
Bill and Marlene McGhie attended the council meeting disputing a $100 penalty Bill had received from bylaw enforcement at the behest of the town due to a "give-and-take" type table that had been set up on adjoining property to his own.
Bill noted that the citation he received was invalid for a couple of different reasons; first, it was actually not made out in his given name, William, and second, the property identified in the citation was incorrectly identified as his own instead of provincial property.
"Bottom line, I'm not paying the fine," said Bill McGhie.
Meanwhile, Marlene McGhie noted that Bill should not have received the fine as he had set the table up at her request and if anyone should be fined, it should be her.
"The wrong person was charged with the offence," said Marlene McGhie.
After the couple departed, council added a discussion on the fine to a later section of the agenda.
Council agreed that due to the issues with the ticket it could possibly get tossed if it did ultimately find its way to court.
It was also noted that, despite it occurring after the citation was issued, the tables had been taken down so the end result had been achieved.
Council dismissed the citation against McGhie but also instructed administration to send a letter instructing the couple that the Government of Alberta property was not to be used for personal use.
Bylaw amendment
Following a public hearing to open the council meeting, council approved the amendment of the Land Use Bylaw.
A couple who had purchased a newly subdivided parcel of land near the edge of town had requested the amendment as it was zoned as Urban Expansion.
According to Chief administrative officer (CAO) Theresa Fuller, Urban Expansion is extremely limiting for properties, as it allows for current activities to take place but prevents the creation of new ones.
"You can't create a new home or residence," said Fuller, informing council of the restriction.
With only one piece of feedback received having no issue with the change, council approved the re-zoning of the parcel from Urban Expansion to Low-Density Residential, which would allow for the construction of a new home on the parcel.
Paper bill charge
Council has approved administration to begin the process of advertising the town's new electronic billing system.
Ultimately, the goal will be to educate the residents of the town that the service exists and have them enrol voluntarily, eventually adding a $2 per month charge to utility bills for those who want to keep receiving paper copies.
The funds raised from the additional charge would be used to offset costs of paper, mailing and staff expenses.
A timeline for the implementation of the charge has not been decided on, but it will be implemented through an upcoming bylaw change, possibly as soon as September.
Mayor Rob McDonald noted he would rather have people move over to the new billing system using education rather than bylaw, and that the community has a "significant" elderly population which could be resistant to the change.
Water Reconciliation
Following a severe waterline break during the early part of the year, the Town of Bashaw continues to run a deficit on the water system., though there is good news.
According to CAO Fuller, though water losses remain around 22 per cent, they have decreased by about 10 per cent from a year prior.
"We're moving in the right direction," said Coun. Kyle McIntosh.
