City Seeks Review - The City is requesting a Legislative Compliance Check (LCC) from Alberta Municipal Affairs to review its bylaws, council meetings, and policies. This check ensures the City is following provincial laws and identifies areas for improvement. A municipal advisor will examine documents, meet with city officials, and provide a public report with findings and recommendations.

Portable Sign Update - City Council is reviewing rules for portable signs, including allowing election candidate advertising on private property. The bylaw limits two portable signs per parcel and restricts election signs to 60 days before an election. Other changes include raising the annual permit fee from $80 to $160, and removing permit fees for non-profits.

City Seeks Grant to Strengthen Leadership & Collaboration - the Collaborative Governance Initiative (CGI) Grant would allow the City to improve succession planning and municipal cooperation. The CGI program helps municipal leaders look internally or to their neighbours to find creative, locally relevant ways to improve communication, engage with internal and external stakeholders, and build better relationships. The City wants to use the grant to create a succession plan so that when a key position ­such as a department head, Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), or elected official becomes vacant unexpectedly, disruptions that could slow down decision making and impact community well-being are avoided.

We need HELP - With exciting updates this season, including new vendors and Saturday markets, we need passionate volunteers to continue Growing the BEST Little Farmers Market in Southern AB!!

B.eautiful, E.ngaging, S.hopping, T.ourist attraction where we, the people, are the true attraction. 😁

Whether you love interacting with people or getting things done behind the scenes there’s a role for you. To see the various options, hit the button below. Only 17 weeks until the Kick-Off market 👏👏

City Rescinding Outdated Policies - City administration is recommending the removal of three outdated policies:

• Employee Computer Equipment Purchases

• Council Orientation Information

• Corporate Guidelines.

The computer equipment policy no longer aligns with Canada Revenue Agency and Municipal Government Act (MGA) regulations and will be discontinued immediately. The Council Orientation policy is unnecessary, as the MGA already outlines required training. The Corporate Guidelines policy outlining the role of the Mayor and Councillors and confidentiality are redundant, as key responsibilities are covered in the MGA, the City's Procedural Bylaw, and other governance documents.

New Columbarium - The City has purchased a new columbarium for the cemetery to meet community demand. A columbarium is a structure with niches that hold urns of cremated remains.The existing one, privately owned by a local funeral home, is sold out. A full rewrite of the Cemetery Bylaw is planned later this year, but an update is needed now to include a fee to proceed with sales of columbarium niches.

Rezoning for More Housing Options - The City is considering a rezoning proposal (Bylaw 25/08) to allow for more housing options in an established neighbourhood. The proposal would change the property at 2 Street East and Kellington Close East from single-detached to medium-density housing. The property contains a 1940s-era house within walking distance of schools, parks, and shopping. The surrounding area includes mostly single-family homes, with some two-unit housing and a high-density development nearby. A public hearing will be held on Feb 18. The change supports the City's goal of providing diverse housing choices in well-connected neighbourhoods.

Thank you for sharing LarkSPUR NEWS and spurring others on!
😁👍