Bashaw council had several delegations along with a budget review during its Nov 15 council meeting.
The first delegation of the night was the Bashaw and District Support Services Association (BDSS). The Association works closely with Family and Community Support Services (FCSS.) Although the group’s spending will be much the same as last year, they have requested an increase of $17,000 over the previous request, largely due to not receiving the requested funding last year and now needing to cover a budget shortfall. The organization is also needing to increase funding to help attract and retain quality staff members.
The Bashaw Library presented to council as well. The delegation spoke on a variety of points, including the library’s recent technology grant which will allow them to visit the homes of residents 50 years and older with a library-owned Apple/Samsung tablet and teach the senior residents how to use their devices. The library has also received extra money from the county, which will not only allow them to put towards new signage and blinds at their facility but also reduce their ask amount from the town by $500.
The library delegation did note that there would be an increase in its rental costs. It is set to increase by only $200 from its current rate of $1,400. They also continue to receive donations from the public that help to keep their costs down for their programs and services. Coun. Bryan Gust motioned to accept the library’s presentation as information and the motion passed.
The third delegation spoke on the variety of programs it oversees, including the Bashaw Youth Centre, which has an enrollment of 87 and is used by approximately 35 per cent of the school population. It is also looking to create a transportation aspect of its program to help students in rural areas gain access to youth programming and help transport users during inclement weather. Coun. Gust’s motion to accept the presentation as information was accepted.
Utility bylaw
Council also held the first and second reading of the new Utility bylaw amendment for billing intervals. The new bylaw allows the town to go from billing every two months to billing monthly and changes penalties from six percent every 2 months to three percent monthly. The question of increased cost from the new billing rate was addressed, but other than increased postage for those not receiving electronic notifications, there were no major cost increases noted by administration.
The third reading of the bylaw allowing the amended billing cycle was also read. Coun. Jackie Northey motioned for the second, while coun. Gust motioned for the third reading, with both motions carrying.
Recreation
Council also reviewed the Recreation Master Plan which has come up in other meetings.
Administration is currently looking for advice and input on developing an overall plan.
Things it is curious about are: what should the plan focus on? and, how to make it as effective as possible?
Coun Kyle McIntosh noted that it was important to include the many walking trails in the area, as well as places like Sitting Stone Lake, which he notices is often forgotten about by many in the community. He then motioned to instruct administration to begin gathering input on the best course of action, which carried.
Water Rates
The proposed increase to water rates from the Highway 12/21 Regional Water Commission was reviewed.
The proposed increase to 3.3 cents per cube from 3.2 cents per cube is currently proposed by the commission.
Although the increase is relatively small, the Comission is predicting a larger jump in the 2025/26 cycle. Council discussed drawing up a letter expressing their concern for the proposed increase after the 2024 cycle.
Council did agree that ongoing efforts to reduce water loss, which is currently at 39 percent, would reduce the overall cost of water consumption in the upcoming cycles, but the increase was still concerning. Council also addressed possibly increasing the town’s cost per cube this cycle to soften the future increase.
Council will continue to monitor the issue as it is set to be finalized at the Commission’s meeting in December.
