Penhold Town Council held their regular meeting on Monday, April 11 in the council chambers at the Penhold Regional Multiplex.
Offsite Levy charges increase
Council approved an increase to the cost of the offsite levy and amended the offsite levy bylaw, which has not been updated since 2006.
The offsite levy is a fee developers are required to pay for their portion of the infrastructure the town has to build to service the new developments.
The fee was increased by one per cent per year since 2006 totaling an increase of five per cent.
The cost of the levy is determined by the amount of developable land in hectares and the cost is further broken down into acres and lots.
The new offsite levy fee per lot will be $2,449.
Land Use Bylaw receives first reading
Council approved the first reading of the new land use bylaw with the amended changes made from the first round of discussion and public consultation.
Members of council were presented with a copy of the bylaw and set a date for the final public hearing for the bylaw.
On Monday, May 9 at 7 p.m. public are welcome to attend the hearing at the council chambers to weigh in on the bylaw before it receives second and third readings.
Combative Sports Bylaw receives first reading
First reading was given to a new bylaw that will increase the variety of activates that can take place in the Penhold Regional Multiplex.
Council passed the first reading of a combative sports bylaw that allows for the creation of a combative sports commission that will regulate contact combative sports at the Multiplex.
Combative sports could include boxing, kickboxing, or ultimate fighting, which are all events that may require specific rules or specifications to be held in a municipality.
The proposal for the creation of the bylaw came from a request by a company interested in hosting combative sporting events out of the Multiplex.
The sports will not be run under the town but instead the bylaw gives the commission the power to operate the sports in this jurisdiction, said Penhold CAO Rick Binnendyk,.
Council viewed a similar bylaw from the Town of Taber which also have a combative sports bylaw.
Administration will now create their own similar policy and will bring it back to council in their next meeting. Council will also be viewing a presentation by someone looking to form the commission.
The bylaw will also establish ground rules for hosting these events out of the Multiplex.
Penhold to adopt Eat Smart Meet Smart Policy
The Penhold Community Services department provided council with a draft of a new healthy living policy for its consideration during its last meeting.
The Eat Smart Meet Smart program outlines how to plan and host meetings, events, and conferences, in a healthier manner.
The program is designed to increase the health of employees who spend a lot of time in meetings by providing healthy snacks such as fruit, vegetables, and whole grain products instead of donuts or muffins.
Council directed administration to create a policy incorporating Eat Smart Meet Smart to be brought back to the next meeting for approval.
The Eat Smart Meet Smart Policy was first brought up within the town in 2008 although council did not fully approve the policy at the time.
