Council indemnities receive first reading
The RM of Woodlands adopted its interim operating budget for 2024. Section 163 of the Municipal Act says that council may adopt an interim operating budget until council adopts the operating budget for the fiscal year. The province requires all municipalities to file a signed copy of the municipality’s financial plan (adopting a budget) by May 15 of each year. As a part of the budget process, council will hold a public hearing, which will likely take place in April, said CAO Kaitlyn Griffith.
The interim operating budget is as follows:
- General Government Services – $321,000
- Protective Services – $112,000
- Transportation Services – $712,000
- Environmental Health Services – $85,000
- Public Health & Welfare Services – $24,000
- Environmental Development Services – $18,000
- Economic Development Services – $65,000
- Recreation & Cultural Services – $72,000
- Fiscal Services – $193,500
- LUD of Warren – $70,000
- Warren Utility Operating – $137,000
- Woodlands Utility Operating – $38,000
- Total Operating Requirements – $1,847,500
Coun. Lorna Broadfoot was appointed as Deputy Reeve. The Deputy Reeve will act in place of the Reeve when the Reeve cannot carry out their powers, duties and functions. When the Reeve is present, the Deputy Reeve acts in their regular role as Coun. Broadfoot will remain in the role of Deputy Reeve for the year.
In other council news:
– Council gave the first reading to a bylaw to set the indemnities, rate of compensation and expenses for council members and committees of council. The Reeve will be paid $1337.72 monthly or $16,052.64 annually for regular and special meetings; the Deputy Reeve will receive $1,297.88 monthly or $15,574.56 annually; Councillors, other than the Reeve and Deputy Reeve, to be paid $1,189.22 monthly or $14,270.64 annually.
Each member of Council shall receive remuneration while engaged in municipal business, including committee, board or public meetings, public hearings and responding to ratepayers concerns where there is more than one half hour involved, the amount of $25 per hour;
Each member of Council shall receive remuneration while attending as a delegate at any convention, conference, seminar or district meeting as authorized by council, during
scheduled meeting, as follows:
(a) For a half day, four hours or less, $100.
(b) For a full day, being eight hours or more, $200 per day
Each member of Council shall receive remuneration for the time to travel from and return to their place of residence, with the exception of council meetings and Board of Revision, the amount of $25 per hour.
Each member of Council shall receive $175 per month reimbursement for communication systems.
Council shall be provided with a Health Care Spending Account in the amount of $500 annually that shall not carry forward. This benefit is only payable and taxable upon usage and is covered entirely by the RM of Woodlands.
Each member of Council shall receive $0.60 per kilometer for each kilometer traveled while engaged in municipal business.
All expenses, including parking, meals and lodging will be reimbursed upon submission of receipts.
Broadfoot requested a recorded vote before calling the question.
– The RM of Woodlands council authorized the expenditure of up to $2,000 to the Park150 committee for startup costs. The Park150 committee is a sub-committee of council, comprised of some councillors and some community members. The committee hopes to develop a new public park in the community of Woodlands in honour of the RMs’ 150th anniversary, which takes place in 2030. The allocated expenditure is due to anticipating costs associated with initial planning and exploratory costs, including surveying and permit application fees.
– Council designated a tax sale year and has set a tax sale date. A tax sale is a legal process where a property is sold at a public auction due to unpaid taxes. The Municipal Act governs municipal tax sales. The Act requires municipalities to designate a tax sale year, which means it must specify which year in which properties in arrears will be auctioned. For the 2024 tax sale, council has designated 2023 as the tax sale year, meaning properties with taxes owing from 2022 or prior will be up for auction if not paid by the tax sale date. For 2024, council has set the tax sale date as Oct. 9. This means that property owners have until Oct. 9 to pay their outstanding property taxes from 2022, or their properties will be sold at tax sale.
– TAXervice Inc. was appointed to conduct tax sales for the RM of Woodlands, with Donna Zinkiew, General Manager of TAXervice Inc., appointed Tax Sale Manager for the RM. The RM of Woodlands hires the company to assist with the annual tax sale process. There is no cost to the municipality for these services, as the cost required for each property is applied to the taxes owed for that property. If the property is sold at a tax sale, the purchaser pays the fees.
– Council approved the destruction of certain municipal records under the Municipal Act for the retention and disposition of municipal records. A list of the records that will be destroyed by shredding can be found on the municipal website in the minutes for the regular meeting of council on Jan. 9, 2024.
– Council authorized the municipal emergency coordinator (MEC) Lori Schellekens to attend the Manitoba Association of Municipal Emergency Coordinators – Municipal Emergency Coordinator Training Program module seven on Jan. 24, 2024, in St. Clements, Manitoba for $225.
– Council authorized the purchase of a replacement laptop and accessories for the Municipal Emergency Coordinator for $1,689.64 plus applicable taxes.
– In the spring of 2023, Boonstra Farms relocated two approaches, without permits from the municipality. The approaches are located on roads 72N and 4W, on the portion of the driveway that adjoins the road – the part on the RM right-of-way crossing the ditch. The municipality advised them to obtain permits and correct the deficiencies in the approaches by Sept. 30, 2023, or the municipality would correct the work at Boonstra Farms’ expense, per the bylaw. Boonstra Farms did not fix the deficiencies by the deadline, so the municipality performed the corrective work in Oct. 2023. Costs for the work have not yet been finalized. The municipality is responsible for positive drainage in municipal ditches, so the work needs to be corrected. If the landowner does not do the work, the RM is responsible. The RM of Woodlands will invoice Boonstra Farms for the corrective work performed on the two non-permitted approaches but will not invoice them for the cost of the steel culvert used in the road 4W approach, as there would not have been a cost for it under a permitted culvert replacement – bylaw states that the RM is responsible for replacing failed culverts, like this one.
