Calgary city council meeting: 3 things to watch
Councillors to continue debating the hotly contested plan to develop Paskapoo Slopes
It's the last city council meeting before the members scramble off on their summer break. But regular council watchers may notice elements of this meeting will be eerily similar to last week's three-day long marathon.
An early budget?
Just last November, council approved a four-year budget covering 2015-18. Each November along the way, council is supposed to revisit and tweak that spending plan. However because of the economic downturn and a lack of any new money, administration suggests council could send a different message this fall: approve a hold-the-line budget for 2016 and send that message in September to give maximum notice.
Note: the 2016 budget has a property tax hike already baked in, so some councillors will likely want to reduce that number whether the '16 budget is talked about in September or November.
Paskapoo Two:
Council may have voted decisively 12-3 for a new mixed-use development at the foot of the eastern Paskapoo Slopes by COP, but debate will continue at this week's meeting. This is because the project was only given first reading, with second and third reading approval up for debate this week.
Although the Calgary Planning Commission and 12 councillors have given the thumbs up to Trinity Development's proposal, Coun. Druh Farrell plans to use this meeting to push for changes to the plan.
Although some on council praise Trinity's vision, which calls for a residential component and the creation of an urban village, Farrell says the proposal is just too large, too car-oriented and too focussed on big box stores. She will push for amendments to try to add more land to the park space the City will inherit on the upper slopes.
Truth and reconciliation:
Coun. Pincott's motion of last week was put off to this meeting because there was no harm in waiting a few days and council was just dog-tired after last week's marathon. So at this meeting, council will discuss his motion regarding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report and Calgary's response.
He hopes council will support Calgary joining several other municipalities in calling on the federal government for a public inquiry into missing and murdered indigenous women — and set out a formal process for the City and its various agencies to respond to the commission's recommendations.
