The Chief Administrative Officer announced the hiring of five new staff members, all of which started this month. The Town welcomes Crystal Huether (HR and payroll) at the Town Office, Wanda Miners (Administrative Assistant) at the Fox Creek Greenview Multiplex, as well as Lara Stadnyk (Family Literacy and Community Program Facilitator), Jennifer Taylor (Community and Seniors Program Facilitator) and Jared Mayer (Home Visitation Facilitator) at the Community Resource Centre.
Council held a Public Hearing for Bylaw 848-2020 – Removal of Reserve Designation on the 2nd Avenue Skate Park prior to their Regular Meeting. No one from the public spoke for or against the bylaw during the Public Hearing and as result, Council moved forward with its final two readings during the Regular Meeting. The passing of this bylaw will allow the Town to subdivide the lot and make it available for sale.
After a discussion with a concerned community member regarding the fee for opening and closing a cemetery plot, Administration requested that Council approve an alternate fee for when a plot is opened and closed for an urn. After some discussion, Council passed a motion approving the fee of $200.00 for the opening and closing of a plot for an urn. The fee is comparable to other small communities and includes the required time for Administration and Public Works staff.
Council also motioned to support the Community Futures Yellowhead East and Lesser Slave Lake Labour Market Partnership Grant. This partnership will come in the form of a COVID 19 impact assessment which will ultimately offer a database of employers, their workforce needs, COVID 19 impacts and anticipated labour force gaps, a support model for business and labour force retention and short to long-term recommendations. Those who could benefit from this study include community leaders, economic development professionals, planners, high schools, post-secondary institutions, and private sector employers.