Lethbridge Minute: Byelection Voting, Committee Review, and a Task Force Transition

Lethbridge Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Lethbridge politics

This Week In Lethbridge:

• There will be a meeting of the Governance Standing Policy Committee at 1:30 pm on Tuesday. The Committee will review the City’s Boards, Commissions, and Committees. There are 17 recommendations from Administration, which include establishing a new quasi-judicial tribunal called the Community Requirements Appeal Board, providing increased support and training to the BCCs, and transitioning several Committees into Administrative Committees.
  
  
• The Safety and Social Standing Policy Committee Meeting, originally scheduled for Thursday, is cancelled due to a lack of agenda items.
  
  
• Council will proceed with the second phase of the Land Use Bylaw renewal project. The second phase will review residential, commercial, and industrial districts, focusing on potential changes to medium and high-density residential areas and parking requirements. Social issues, covered in the first phase, will not be included in this stage. A public engagement process will be coming soon.

Last Week In Lethbridge:

• A candidates forum was held for the Lethbridge-West byelection, featuring NDP candidate Rob Miyashiro and UCP candidate John Middleton-Hope. The Alberta Party candidate, Layton Veverka, was represented by a statement from his wife. The forum covered topics such as health care, the environment, education, safety, and loyalty to Lethbridge. Miyashiro highlighted health care as the top voter concern, while Middleton-Hope noted education, safety, and security in the downtown core as key issues. The byelection is set for December 18th. You can review voter eligibility and find your polling station here.
  
  
• Members of the Downtown Lawlessness Reduction Task Force supported a transition of the Task Force to an Administrative Committee. This change aims to extend service boundaries beyond the downtown core while streamlining operations. Established in December 2023, the Task Force has focused on addressing safety concerns, social disorder, and economic challenges in downtown Lethbridge through community engagement and data analysis. Over the past year, the Task Force identified significant issues, including vandalism, violence, and financial strain on businesses. A new Administrative Committee will maintain accountability by presenting reports to Council but will operate without the requirement of holding formal meetings.
  
  
• Council approved three Official Business Motions during Tuesday's meeting. Councillor Jeff Carlson introduced a motion to develop a "Pay As You Go" policy for funding utility-supported capital projects, which passed unanimously and is expected to be presented by mid-2025. Councillor Belinda Crowson's motion to draft an asset management strategy for effective infrastructure planning also received unanimous support, with a presentation scheduled for the same timeframe. A joint motion by Carlson and Crowson to empower the City Manager to approve full-time equivalent positions passed narrowly, despite opposition from Mayor Blaine Hyggen and two other Councillors.

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