The town council of Outlook met for a regularly scheduled meeting on Wednesday night, December 11. Present was all of council; Donna Smith, Kevin Grotheim, Kyle McLeod, Maureen Applin, Floyd Childerhose and David Simonson, as well as Mayor Ross Derdall, Administrator Huguette Lutz, Public Works Coordinator Bonnie Pshyk, and Recreation Director Jordy Jones.
Absent was Assistant Administrator Rachel Sillers and Superintendent of Municipal Operations Luke Lockhart.
A number of topics and items were discussed, including the following highlights.
Old Business/Business Arising from the Minutes
A motion was made and carried that information be received from the Outlook Housing Authority’s 2018 Financial Statements. Ross said he would be attending their next meeting and commended the housing authority for “being accountable” by providing such information.
Council was impressed at the “low” figure brought forward by P. Machibroda for a quote on a Slope Stability Study Extension, and a motion was made and carried to accept it.
There have been a few instances of Dutch Elm Disease noted in town, as well as the Regional Park, and the park is particularly concerned with their big elm trees and whether they could contract the disease. A motion was made and carried to move forward on a Comprehensive Dutch Elm Disease Management Program and table further discussion to a future meeting.
Recreation
The painting job recently done in the lobby washrooms was said to look impressive.
There will be free skating on Boxing Day at the Jim Kook Rec Plex.
There appears to be interest in league bowling at the bowling alley, so it’s just a matter of deciding on which night will work best and having someone work the alley.
The Town will once again enter into the Go Out & Play Challenge and will take advantage of early bird incentives for doing so.
Public Works/Transportation
Trees have been removed across from the town offices building that were said to be a tripping hazard, and the nearby sidewalks will be addressed in the spring.
Water conservation tips have started to appear on the Town’s Facebook page in an effort to promote such an endeavor and get people more aware of their personal water use.
There is an idea being discussed over possibly updating the foyer in the town offices building in the near future.
A ‘Free Dump Day’ out at the town landfill was confirmed to take place from May 21-23, which will allow for free unloading of household waste. No construction waste will be permitted, and residents are to watch for notice of all restrictions as the date draws closer.
Council approved a staff Christmas party in January.
New Business
Authorization was approved for Yearend Transfers.
Authorization was approved for 2019 Yearend Invoice Payments.
The 2020 Council Meeting Schedule was approved.
In discussing the status of the Town’s raw water intake system, it was said that the Town would like to meet with the Water Security Agency on the matter, as well as SaskPower.
Bylaw 19(2019) – A Bylaw for the Licensing, Regulating of Food Trucks was said to be a combination of “a few” bylaws and similar to what’s being done in Saskatoon. Two readings were held for it in case the public wants input on it before the third reading.
Bylaw 22(2019) – A Bylaw to Regulate the Installation of a Sump Pit and Surface Discharge System was tabled to a council meeting in January.
Bylaw 23(2019) – A Bylaw to Repeal Certain Bylaws was carried after three readings.
Bylaw 24(2019) – A Bylaw to Amend Bylaw 03/19 known as the Cemetery Bylaw was carried after three readings.
Bylaw 25(2019) – A Bylaw to Require Criminal Record Checks with Nomination Forms was carried after three readings.
Bylaw 26(2019) – A bylaw to Recover Protective Services Costs was carried after multiple readings.
Reports
The rink parking lot has been sanded after a serious injury suffered by a local resident.
A Source Water Protection Plan has been sought by the South Saskatchewan River Watershed Stewards in case of any issues that may arise.
The topic of the Town’s new business licensing model bylaw was something of an animated conversation, particularly after concerns were brought up by residents who commented on it on the Outlook Bulletin Board – Hot Topics page on Facebook.
Detractors of the new model say it takes away from smaller businesses and could deter anyone from setting up shop in the community in the future.
According to the Town, a business license has ALWAYS been required from anyone operating a business of ANY kind within the Town of Outlook; home-based, commercial, etc. Apparently, according to the Town, what's been happening the last number of years is that people with smaller, home-based operations haven't gone to the Town to acquire one in the first place. Now, that may be because any information related to business licensing could've been poorly advertised and/or publicized by the Town, that’s only a possible factor. But the onus has always been on business owners to obtain a license within the Town. People appear to be crying foul now because the proverbial "free ride" is over and the Town has simply taken new steps to enforce the rules.
Council doesn't feel the new bylaw will deter new businesses from setting up shop in Outlook. "It's not just Outlook that's doing this," was said by one official.
Fears over what the impact may be to events such as trade shows and the farmer's market were downplayed, with something of a "Tough cookies!" mindset among some in the room.
There were comments that the information in the new bylaw could’ve used more clarification and possibly some editing, but Mayor Derdall countered that the Town’s bylaws perhaps need to be looked over more sufficiently in the first place before council decides to pass them.
Council moved into in-camera talks after accepting the correspondence. The in-camera discussion including the following items:
- CAO Report
- Personnel (2019 Projected Yearend Holiday Carryovers, 2020 Wage Review)
- Land (ICDC Proposal)
- Legal
