Sackville town council will meet next week on Tuesday September 8th for their monthly discussion meeting.
There’s a light agenda this month, with just four items up for public discussion:
- Rezoning/Text Amendment
- Aerial Truck Repairs
- Winter Bulk Salt
- Gift Agreements – Tantramar Heritage Trust
CHMA spoke with town CAO Jamie Burke to get a preview of what’s on the agenda.
The first item, “rezoning/text amendment” is regarding an application to change the municipal plan and zoning bylaw to accommodate a new land use in the industrial park, says Burke.
If council decides to consider the application, a public hearing process is required as per municipal legislation.
The second item is looking for council approval on going ahead with repairs to the fire department’s aerial truck, which Burke says is one of the town’s “main firefighting pieces of equipment.”
The next item is for council approval of an annual bulk purchase of road salt,”to ensure that we have adequate supply for the winter season,” says Burke.
The final item is a process through which the town can formally gift items to the Tantramar Heritage Trust.
“We’ve had some items in our possession over the years that we loan to the Heritage Trust,” says Burke. “And we have some other items that were in our storage and we felt that they were probably in a better position to house them and preserve them and display them than the town, because we don’t have an exhibition space or a fully functioning gallery. So this just kind of formalizes the process, I guess, of the town giving items to the Trust so that their books are in order.”
Tuesday is the first of two monthly meetings for town council. At this first “special” or discussion meeting, councillors don’t make any motions or decisions.
“That’s really an opportunity for staff to present to the council for the very first time. A lot of times, it’s the first time they’ve seen the item or application in front of them,” says Burke. “And then they have a week after that to kind of ask questions, wrap their head around whatever the issue or request is. And then they vote at the regular council meeting.”
There are also two in camera items on the agenda, which seem to be related to contracts award via the public tender process. The contracts in question are for a self contained breathing apparatus and cylinders for firefighting and the printing of the Sackville Visitor Guide.
Burke says that the local governance act allows for in camera discussion around legal, police, human resources or other confidential matters, but that decisions must be ratified at a public meeting.
