G + P Meeting June 28, 2011

Adoption of Agenda:

Mayor Decoux added # 9 under Topics for Discussion, Strategic Planning.
Councilor Saindon added a personnel issue In Camera.
CAO requested that Item #6 and #8 under Topics for discussion go In Camera, and that Item #7 be deferred to July 12th.
Motion to accept agenda with additions passed unanimously

Delegations:

1. Scott Warris, Treasurer-Crowsnest Pass Boy’s and Girl club. Provided and update on upcoming activities, fund raising and fiscal situation. Informed council that they are selling raffle tickets around town. That they will be doing a duck race at the centre access on July 16, running the concession at the Sinister seven event, and that the Blairmore Lions are giving them the proceeds from their up coming golf tournament. He also stated that they have raised one third of the $40,000 they anticipated but are very hope full they will reach their goals with the previously mentioned fundraisers.

2. June Vastenhout-Neighbourhood Concerns with random camping during the Rum Runner days weekend near Lyons creek. After an explanation of the issue by the residents, Mayor Decoux felt they should be addressing their concerns to the CAO and the bylaw officer.

Note: At this point Mayor Decoux informed the residents that there is not a lot of time to deal with the over all issues caused by the success of the Rum Runner Days/Thunder in the Valley weekend and the masses of people it brings for that event. However, he assured the residents that this is the last year that it will be ran in the fashion it as previously been run.

Topics for Discussion:
1. Property Tax Installment Bylaw-Language cleanup regarding the bylaw allowing residents to pay there taxes in installments.

2. Rum Runner Days/Thunder in the Valley, Administration provided an update on all the services being in place for that weekend. Mayor Decoux made the point that this weekend is costing the municipality well in excess of a $100,000. Councilor Gail also raise a concern about groups using the camping opposite the ISS as a fund raiser felt that money should be coming back to the community, allowing it to recoup its costs.

3. Orpheum Theatre Bylaw-Update on allowing this building to get an historical designation.

4. Alta Link follow up-Council had requested Alta Link’s environmental report on the proposed line upgrades in the Pass, mostly irrelevant at this point due to the line not moving above Blairmore.

5. Advertising Policy-Basically allows each department to advertise anywhere they see fit as long as the dollars are approved in its budget. Strange policy it specifies that one particular form of media will receive advertising in more than one local vendor but then instructs administration to go get the best deal they can.(?)

6. Agenda Format Changes moved to In Camera

7. Review of the Procedural Bylaws and the G+P committee deferred to July 12

8. Community Standards Bylaw enforcement moved to In Camera

9. Strategic Planning-Mayor Decoux made it clear to council that there is a lot of work to be done this summer, many meetings long hard days of preparing council’s strategic plan with a first draft ready for Sept 1. He requested that a couple of members of council get together and co-ordinate everybody’s schedule by next council meeting, Councilor Saje with the assistance of Councilor Saindon agreed to do this.

Note: Two things that took place during the meeting really surprised me, after the Cuff report recommended that we combine our committee of the whole and several other committees’ into the G+P meeting format. The previous council was clearly told by our administrator at that time that we could not pass motions at those meeting, but we could vote on weather to forward recommendations to council. This went on for at least the last year and a half of the previous council, after the election new council and new CAO carried on the same practice. Last night while dealing with Topics for Discussion the Interim CAO informed council that this practice was wrong that council can not conduct any votes at the G+P meeting, really surprising that the last two CAO’s did not know that.

The second issue that absolutely shocked me was just prior to going In Camera; the Mayor decided that he needed to share a few words with administration, with the public and media still sitting there. He started with nobody on council has legislative experience on procedures of council; he also went on about how administration needed to provide council with clear, precise complete information. That anything less than that would not be tolerated, that if council was put in the position of making decisions without all the information being 100% available and accurate that he and Council would be making recommendations to the CAO regarding those administrators.

Do I have a problem with what was said above, or even the tone that it was said in? No. Management in every organization when justified needs a good kick in the ass, the problem with what happened above is it should have been done behind closed doors. No employee should be given shit by their Boss in front of the public let alone the media.

In Camera: Motion to go In Camera passed unanimously.