Stettler County council has approved an additional streetlight in the Hamlet of Gadsby. The decision was made during the Jan. 8 council meeting.
During the meeting, council received a request for council decision (RCD) asking that it consider adding a streetlight on a pole in the alley between 1st and 2nd Street.
"The alley functions as the access to the adjacent properties due to an undeveloped right of way of 2nd Street south of Alberta Avenue," notes the RCD.
As Stettler County has moved to the "invested" option with Atco Electric, while the overall monthly costs for the infrastructure are a little higher, the provider looks after all the installation and maintenance of the infrastructure.
The total cost increase to the county by placing the light in Gadsby would be an overall increase of just under $35 per month.
If the county were on the non-invested option in Gadsby, the cost of the installation would be around $1,100.
Returning Officer
The county has appointed Doreen Nixon as the returning officer for the upcoming municipal election.
According to Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Yvette Cassidy, Nixon has served as the county's returning officer during several previous campaigns.
"She does an excellent job," said CAO Cassidy, during the meeting.
The recently updated Local Areas Election Act requires municipalities to appoint a returning officer for the 2025 campaign, which opened on Jan. 1. The act also requires the county to appoint a substitute returning officer by June 30.
According to the RCD, county staff typically does not become involved in the election process to remain at "arm's length."
The returning officer is responsible for hiring staff for the voting station, who will then be paid at the rate set by council.
Donalda lease
The county has received a request from the Shirley McClellan Regional Water Services Commission (SMRWSC) to lease a section of unused land adjacent to the Donalda fire hall.
SMRWSC is proposing to construct a reservoir and bulk-water station that would serve that community and the area around it when complete.
The RCD notes that the Red Willow Truck Fill is the county's busiest truck fill and a new bulk water station would potentially benefit some county residents thanks to a shorter drive.
Further, the RCD notes that SMRWSC already has an existing facility on the site.
The commission requested that as Stettler County is a member municipality the land be provided at no cost and that a termination clause of several years be built into the agreement, should the county chose to end the lease.
"Administration sees no issues with this," said CAO Cassidy.
Council Meetings
With a large number of items from the county's committee of the whole being returned to council for decision, and with council needing to make more timely decisions, Stettler County is moving to two council meetings per month in place of a Committee of the Whole meeting.
"There's more business at hand, more and more decisions on a go forward basis," said Coun Jame Nibourg, agreeing with the move.
"Things are moving faster than the speed of regular government."
While Stettler County council will continue with its regular meeting on the second Wednesday of the month, beginning at 10 a.m., an additional meeting, also open to the public, will now take place on the fourth Tuesday of the month at the same time.
While the motion to move to two meetings per month was approved, not all councillors supported it; two voted against it.
Due to schedule conflicts later in January, the county will begin two meetings per month in February.
