On April 24 before their regularly scheduled council meeting, Hardisty councillors attended a training session with John Lamb Field Officer for Alberta Emergency Management Agency (AEMA). The training session covered Emergency management planning, and what the roles and responsibilities for elected officials are in the event there is a municipal emergency.
The safety of the citizens of Hardisty is a high priority for the town council, and they review their Municipal Emergency Plan(MEP) annually to make sure it is current and that they are prepared for any eventuality that may occur. Included in the MEP is the Hazard Identification Risk Assessment which ensures that a system is in place so that the town has the proper training, communication and warning systems in place for disasters such as storms, fires, flooding, hazardous spills, situations that may occur with large outdoor events and many other risk factors a town may face.
Animal waste in park
It has come to the attention of the town council that certain areas of the Municipal Reserve (park area) have become unsightly due to the over abundance of waste material from dogs.
Council would like to remind the public that it is against town bylaws to let your animal run at large or deposit body wastes on premises other than those on which the owner is in lawful occupation. Not adhering to these bylaws can result in a fine if the matter has not been addressed after a written letter stating concerns has been received from the town.
Public work employees will be cleaning up the mess in the park which is added duties to their workday. A sign will be erected in the park reminding residents to please clean up after their pets.
A garbage can will also be placed in the park with a pet waste bag dispenser available for people to use if they forget to bring their own bags.
“It’s common courtesy.” Deputy Mayor Dean Lane commented when council discussed that if all people cleaned up after their pets, there would not be the mess and smell to deal with.
No raise in tax rate penalties
The penalties for unpaid taxes will stay at their current rate of 10 percent on unpaid current tax year levies on or before June 30th of each year and 18 percent on all unpaid tax levies and charges on or before December 31st of each year.
Budget
Council has been working on finalizing the yearly budget and gathering for additional meetings to prioritize which infrastructure projects will benefit the town of Hardisty the most and should be completed first.
Water, sewer and road repairs are all important and such concerns as cost, engineering reports, completion time, disruption to the daily lives of residents, government rules and regulations, available labour and supplies; all need to be analyzed before final decisions can be made.
National Day of Mourning
On April 28 the Town of Hardisty will honour all the men and women who have lost their lives due to workplace injury and illness by lowering their Canadian, Alberta and Municipal flags to half-mast.
Brent Hopfe, a public works employee, lost his life in 1987 while working for the town of Hardisty.
The beautification committee will place a planter of flowers in the park by the communities in bloom building in remembrance of Brent.
Lisa Bye
ECA Review
