Martensville City Council held their only meeting of July on the evening of Tuesday the 17th. Each of the department heads presented a monthly update. This was kicked off by City Manager Scott Blevins who commented on City Hall repairs, which will officially be completed by next week and noted that Ted Schaeffer, the new Director of Recreation and Community Services will be starting on Monday, July 23rd.
Next to speak was Leah Sullivan, the Director of Corporate Services, who explained that she is working with auditors to finalize the 2017 year end and financial statements, which she plans to bring to Council for the August Council meeting. Sullivan is also working on developing a Drug & Alcohol Policy, Investment Policy and revisions to the Water & Sewer Administration Bylaw. Sullivan is planning to have the Drug & Alcohol Policy completed prior to the October 17th legalization of marijuana.
An update for City of Martensville Water & Sewer was provided by Matt Gruza, who explained that a new flow meter for the lagoon effluent line was installed; however, it has not been functioning properly, an issue that they are working on resolving. Gruza also commented about the extreme amounts of rain that Martensville received in June and that there were several complaints from residents regarding water backing up into basements noting that there had been some confusion from residents about how storm water and sewerage is handled. Plans are now in place to create informational documents as well as tips to prevent flooding.
Additionally, there was a sewer backup that appeared to be caused by an excessive amount of grease in the sewer, which was likely caused by a commercial business. Because of this, the current sewer bylaw is being reviewed and updated to help provide a clear direction of what is permitted in the sewer as well as giving the City of Martensville sewer and water operators additional tools to deal with unpermitted sewer use. For roadways in Martensville, road repairs and line painting are currently underway. Be sure to watch for City workers as they continue their work around the community.
Bonnie Gorelitza provided an update for the City of Martensville Planning Department which noted that work is being done with a builder regarding a condominium development and with a business in the south industrial area, who plan to develop a car wash, which will be the first development for that particular zone. Gorelitza has also been working with the Cannabis retailer that was selected for Martensville, and commented that they have a location in place within the community.
City Council approved the CUPE 2582 Union Contract Agreement, which was recently negotiated. The agreement will be retroactive from January 1, 2017 to January 1, 2019 and includes a 1.75% wage increase for each of the three years. Mayor Muench took a moment during the meeting to thank those that were involved in the process, commenting on the numerous hours that were dedicated to forming this contract.
The second reading of the Vehicle for Hire Bylaw was read, and Shewchuk provided an update to Council on recent communications that have taken place between himself and an Uber representative. Information from the Transportation Network Company Services resident survey that took place at the end of 2017 was provided to the company, as well as a draft copy of the Vehicle for Hire Bylaw. He has not received feedback from the company at this time.
The final item on the agenda was regarding amendments made to the Business Licensing Bylaw. These amendments included the license fee for mobile food (self-propelled), license fee for other transient traders, and the license fee for Vehicle for Hire.
