Council Highlights January 24, 2023

​Video and minutes

• During a Public Hearing, Lethbridge City Council received an applicant's letter of withdrawal on Bylaw 6390 - Land Use Bylaw Amendment re: 215 – 2 Avenue South and 221 – 2 Avenue South (Castle Apartments), as well as for Bylaw 6391 - Land Use Bylaw Amendment re: 535 – 8 Street South (Halmrast Manor). The letter thus cancelled the Public Hearing and second readings to the proposed Bylaws were then both defeated unanimously
  
  
• From an Official Business Motion from Councillor John Middleton-Hope and Councillor Nick Paladino, Council voted unanimously to direct Administration to develop a strategic, long-term response for sheltering residents in need and those who are difficult to house (high acuity), including the establishment of a permanent shelter that may also be used to temporarily house citizens during severe inclement weather or in the event of a disaster (including any required funding amounts and the proposed sources of funds), and report back to Council through the Cultural and Social Standing Policy Committee by the end of Q2 2023. The Government of Alberta has indicated that $1 million in funding is available for shelter space if the City of Lethbridge has proper location and approvals in place
   
• From an Official Business Motion from Belinda Crowson, Council voted unanimously to direct the City Manager and Administration to: 1. Review the current state of Lethbridge's tax classes and review possibilities on tax classes in the current Municipal Government Act; 2. Conduct a tax subclass review of some other Alberta municipalities and compare, where possible, the historic rates for these communities and Lethbridge, what other municipalities are doing differently (or the same) as Lethbridge and what trends and information can be derived by such a comparison; and 3. Prepare a presentation on tax classes and subclasses to be presented to the Economic Standing Policy Committee before the end of June 2023. As part of the presentation, Administration will prepare recommendations for Economic Standing Policy Committee to consider, which may include retaining the status quo or suggesting different classes and/or recommending adjustments to the tax ratio between classes. Administration will also as part of the presentation include recommendations on how to provide comparatives with other municipalities as a benchmark for potential future discussions and decisions
  
  
• As part of the Consent Agenda approval, Council's 2022 Action Plan Q4 report was carried. The full report can be viewed here
   
• As part of the Consent Agenda approval, the lease agreement with the Blood Tribe Department of Health on the Lethbridge Shelter was published. It can be viewed here
  
  
• After being moved from Consent Agenda to Committee Submissions, Council voted 8-1 to approve the Economic Standing Policy Committee report on Regional Economic Development & Tourism Strategy Draft Phase 1 Vision, as amended. View the minutes for the full list of approvals.

• Council voted unanimously in favour on second and third readings to Bylaw 6387- Land Use Bylaw Amendment re: 1240 29 St. N, 1501 28 St. N, 2911 - 3033 15 Ave. N, 1211- 1481 29 St. N & 1212 - 1453 30 St. N (Broadcast Business Park). The purpose of the Land Use Bylaw (LUB) amendment is to replace the Urban Innovation (UI) district with a Direct Control (DC) district. The LUB amendment will also change the land use of a portion of the area that is currently shown as business industrial in the UI district's Comprehensive Site Plan to one that primarily consists of general industrial land uses. It will also remove and add a few land uses that are not currently allowable under the business industrial and general industrial areas of the Comprehensive Site Plan