City Council Meeting Recap

The following decisions were made at Monday’s regular City Council Meeting.

VEHICLES FOR HIRE – PRINCIPLES AND DISCUSSION:
An updated Vehicle for Hire Bylaw will be coming to back to City Council for First Reading later this year, following discussion and approval of the following recommendations:

Replace the age-based restrictions with a vehicle mileage restriction of 350,000 kilometers
Explore additional options related to plate limits
Remove drop rates for taxis
No change to current drop rates for Transportation Network Companies (rideshare)
Explore additional options for regulations for Transportation Network Companies
Simplification of the licensing process

Administration will take Council’s feedback to consider updates to the bylaw to come back in Fall 2023.

RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP BYLAW FUNDAMENTALS AND DISCUSSION:
Council discussed fundamental components related to pet ownership and endorsed four key principles that will inform a future Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw. The four principles that will influence the foundation of the bylaw include:

Potential to license cats with a maximum of six cats per household.
Maintain the limit of three dogs per household and include exceptions for new residents.
Maintain maximum of four urban chickens per licence/household and remove cap on the number of licences available.
Prohibit honeybee hives, excluding provincially licensed hives, and continued ongoing support for pollinator parks and natural area preservation initiatives.

First reading of a Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw will come back to Council for consideration in Fall 2023. Council approved one-time funding of $45,000 to maintain the current service levels, including enforcement costs.

This new bylaw would combine four bylaws that currently regulate animals in our city into one bylaw, including the Dog Bylaw, Cat Bylaw, Urban Chicken Bylaw and aspects of the Community Standards Bylaw as it relates to livestock.

2023 TAX RATE BYLAW
Council approved the annual property tax rate bylaw, including tax rates for requisitions The City collects on behalf of Alberta Education and Bridges Community Living. The City’s budget was set by City Council in December with a 4.61 per cent tax increase. When combined with requisitions The City must collect on behalf of other organizations, the actual tax increase is 2.46 per cent for residential and non-residential properties. Multi-family properties will see a tax increase of 6.64 per cent. Tax notices will be mailed May 23, 2023. Read more.

BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT AREA TAX BYLAW
Council passed the Business Improvement Area (BIA) tax and tax rate bylaw, which funds the Downtown Business Association (DBA). Read more.

WESTERNER EXHIBITION ASSOCIATION LOAN BYLAW
Council approved second and third reading of the WEA Loan Bylaw to support shorter-term funding requirements while WEA regains financial sustainability. The loan is intended to support short-term cash flow for the Westerner by providing a $1 million line of credit for WEA to cover expenses prior to realizing event revenue. This contingency loan is seen as emergency funds, with an expectation for it to be paid back once revenue is realized and only used after their current line of credit.

PUBLIC HEARING – LAND USE BYLAW AMENDMENT
Following a public hearing, Council approved second and third reading to rezone 3718 46 Street in Eastview from R1A (semi detached dwelling/duplex) to R2 (medium density). The applicant intends to construct a new residential development on the property that is non-intrusive in design and contains slightly more units than the adjacent properties. This will gently increase density in the area. The maximum size of development for this property is four units (fourplex) based on site limitations and R2 District regulations, including landscaping, parking, and setback requirements.

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To view the full Council agenda, video recording of the meeting and reports, visit: https://reddeer.ca/city-government/mayor-and-city-councillors/council-meetings-and-schedule/

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City of Red Deer

Photo Radar to disappear in a flash – Red Deer City Council

Published on August 7, 2024

City of Red Deer

City Council reviews Automated Traffic Enforcement program

At Tuesday’s Council meeting, City Council received a report reviewing the current operation of The City’s Automated Traffic Enforcement (ATE) program.

Mobile photo speed enforcement, commonly known as photo radar, is one component of the ATE program that has been an important tool in capturing speed violations on city streets. On Tuesday, administration provided a report on the effectiveness of the current program, as well as identified opportunities to optimize resources and enhance public safety through conventional enforcement.

“The ATE program’s number one goal has always been to prevent accidents and increase motorist and pedestrian safety by identifying speeding violations,” said John Ferguson, Manager of Municipal Policing Services. “However, after conducting a thorough review, we have found the current photo speed enforcement program has limitations in achieving our public safety goals.”

Identified limitations of the Mobile Photo Speed Enforcement program included a range of issues, including the inability to capture all traffic and safety violations, a lack of positive change in speeding compliance over time, limited consequences to drivers, and inability to provide targeted enforcement that responds promptly to evolving community needs because of a reliance on external guidelines set by the Government of Alberta’s ATE program.

Conversely, the report found that Community Peace Officer-led enforcement could offer a number of advantages, including the ability to address a wide range of traffic and safety violations, engage directly with drivers, have the flexibility to adapt to emerging community safety needs, and have a greater impact on changing the immediate behaviour of drivers with the stopping and ticketing process.

“Most importantly, Community Peace Officers can identify and remove dangerous driving issues that go beyond speeding, such as stopping uninsured or suspended drivers, impaired or distracted driving, and seatbelt use,” said Manager Ferguson. “This report explores the value or striking a better balance between automated and conventional enforcement that fosters a stronger sense of safety, reassures residents and deters potential offenders.”

Municipal Policing will return in the fall to propose a comprehensive approach for traffic safety enforcement that replaces the use of mobile photo speed enforcement with Community Peace Officers.

For more information about the current ATE program, visit www.reddeer.ca/ATE.

City of Red Deer

City Council paving the way for more house suites, backyard suites, tiny homes, and duplexes

Published on May 13, 2024

City of Red Deer

Council adopts new Zoning Bylaw

At Monday’s regular City Council meeting, City Council passed second and third reading of the Zoning Bylaw 3357/2024, replacing the former Land Use Bylaw.

The goal of the Zoning Bylaw is to reduce red tape, permit more uses in each zone and improve ease and understanding of the document. Notable updates include:

Reduction from 11 residential districts to 9 zones
Reduction from 7 commercial districts to 6 zones
Reduction from 5 industrial districts to 3 zones
More permitted uses in each zone
More gentle density options to provide increased housing options, including house suites, backyard suites, tiny homes, and duplexes
Increased building heights to 12.5m that considers sightlines and privacy of existing dwellings
Greater flexibility for development applications
Expanded definitions
Reduction of duplex side yards, removal of side yard setbacks on corner lots, and reduced frontage in residential narrow lots to improve competitiveness
New regulations to gently transition existing neighbourhoods to maintain character

Following adoption of the Zoning Bylaw, the following amendments were made by City Council.

Proposed Amendment	Public Hearing Date
Increase suites from 15% to 25% of the houses in a neighbourhood.	June 24, 2024
Allow commercial uses on the main floor of R-H Residential High Density.	June 24, 2024
Correct errors in the PS Public Service Zone use list: (*Recommended) a) Gaming and Gambling Establishment (Only at the Westerner) b) Education Primary & Secondary – Add to discretionary use list	May 27, 2024
Returning the Cannabis Retail Sales setbacks to be consistent with the current Land Use Bylaw 3357/2006	May 27, 2024

“The new Zoning Bylaw incorporates years of public feedback and best practices to make a Zoning Bylaw that will result in more housing options, easier development, and ultimately will improve our competitiveness,” said David Girardin, Major Projects Planner. “With the approval of the Zoning Bylaw today, we are not finished our community engagement as there will be future public hearings on potential amendments in the coming weeks, as well as more formal public participation for each additional phase of the Zoning Bylaw.”

The Zoning Bylaw will come into effect in 30 days. Public participation for phase two of the Zoning Bylaw will begin later this year. For more information, visit engage.reddeer.ca.