Oct 14, 2014 - The One with the cat license

Council Highlights – October 14, 2014

Hello Riverview (and all others who care to read)! Here are the highlights from our last Council meeting. It’s been a busy month. We were away early in October for the Union of Municipalities NB Conference, Harvest Fest in this weekend, Fire Safety Week was this month and more. I had the opportunity to perform with my band at the Monster Trot, a fundraiser in support of our own Atlantic Wellness Community Center!

1.Cat Licensing

2.Parking Restrictions on Florence/Olive

3.Request for Rezoning – Dobson Landing

4.Traffic control at Pinewood/Country Club

5.Sustainability Planning Committee

6.Sustainability Plan of Action Resolution

7.Seniors Swimming Policy

8.Appointment of auditors

9.Grant Report

1.Cat Licensing

I have had a number of residents express to me their disapproval over the town’s cat licensing policy and wanting the fees eliminated. As a result I had brought a request to Council for staff to look into the pros and cons of this program. A report was brought back to Council with three recommendations: a) Create a “Responsible Pet owners” brochure to share with the public the benefits of having cat licensing b) Offer a reduced rate if paid before March 1 and c) Reduced rate for seniors. I did vote against the motion to accept these recommendations as I felt I needed to vote according to the feedback I have received from residents who were clear in telling me they did not want a fee. I did state that if the program was not working, I would bring the issue up again and also requested that we look at our approach to notifying residents as I have heard reports that residents had received negative contact about licensing their pets.

2.Parking Restrictions

 Residents on Olive and Florence street have identified an issue on their streets. They have a parking ban on both sides of the road, which has proven to be very complicated were they to have company over. Our town follows a national standard for street width and because of that these streets had restricted parking on both sides. Another factor for the double parking ban is the fact that on narrow streets emergency vehicles cannot get past if there are cars on both sides. In the last Council meeting I asked the Fire Chief if he could do a test and see if, while having a vehicle parked on the side of the road, he could get the fire engine down the street. Olive street was much too narrow and he could not do it, however on Florence, he had enough width so this past meeting I made a motion to reduce the parking ban to South Side only rather than both sides. Both the Fire Dept and Public worked together to determine the level of safety in making this change and both supported the motion which was passed unanimously by Council.

3.Request for Re-zoning

A local developer is looking to develop lands south of Gunningsville blvd and East of Pine Glenn, running behind where the Animal Hospital is. This development would see a mix of commercial land, high density and single unit housing. A new zoning needed to be created to allow for compact, single unit dwellings to go up. No motion as made in this meeting however, public hearings were set. A public presentation will be held on October 27 at 6:30pm in Council Chambers and another public hearing to be held on November 24 at 6:30pm in Council Chambers.

4.Traffic Control Pinewood/Country Club

Traffic flow has increased and is expected to do so dramatically now that Pinewood is a collector street through to Gunningsville Blvd. As such, it was necessary to add a traffic control option (4 way stop) to the Pinewood and Country Club intersection. Approved unanimously.

5.Sustainability Planning Committee

Council has approved the Terms of Reference for the Sustainability Ad Hoc Committee which is developing am Integrated Community Sustainability Plan (ICSP). We are aiming to have a plan within 10 months.  This initiative comes from our Economic Development Department. A sustainability plan is crucial in guiding how we govern the town and in determining how we will continue to grow as a municipality. The plan focuses on pillars like arts and culture, environment and the economy. The motion was passed unanimously.

6.Sustainability Plan of Action Resolution

This resolution is basically a commitment from the town to the on-going pursuit of greater environmental, economic and sociocultural sustainability. Resolution passed unanimously.

7.Seniors Swim Policy

Council passed a motion to formalize a practice that grants seniors free access to public swims and lap swims at the town swimming facilities. This policy does not include classes that are offered. The motion was approved unanimously.

8.Appointment of Auditors.

Council appointed AC Stevenson & Partners as the auditors for the 2014 fiscal year.

9.Grant Report

Council approved a grant request of $1000 to support the Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce Excellence Awards.

If you have any questions or comments, please don’t hesitate to ask! I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!