Sackville town council will meet this evening, and it will be the first time since meetings have gone virtual that members of the public will be permitted to ask questions during a meeting.
That doesn’t mean councillors will be gathering in person, but rather citizens are being invited to join the virtual meeting.
CAO Jamie Burke says that council’s Microsoft Team meeting link will be shared publicly, so anyone can join the meeting.
“And we would just ask those who are attending to kind of turn their video and microphones off and let the meeting proceed as usual,” says Burke. “And then, when we wrap up the agenda, the deputy mayor will then ask members of the public if they have any questions. That will be an opportunity for individuals to turn their video on and mic on, after raising their hands, and address their question to council.”
This does mean that anyone who wants to join the meeting to ask a question will need a device that can run Microsoft Teams.
The first item on tonight’s agenda is a presentation on bylaw changes that would allow for a development agreement process to take place between the town and farmer Chris Pierce, who has plans to build a small abattoir or slaughterhouse on Crescent Street.
See also:
The details of the proposed abattoir will not necessarily be part of tonight’s presentation. Those details will be released later, says Burke. A formal pubic hearing on the bylaw changes and the development agreement is slated for town council’s meeting on November 9, 2020.
Council will also hear the results from a survey of local business on their needs in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The survey was initiated by council at a special meeting back in June where they discussed the possibility of establishing an economic recovery fund for local businesses.
Councillors expressed concerns over the idea of a public fund supporting private businesses. The meeting ended without a motion to create a fund, but instead a request for staff to survey businesses about their needs.
“At that meeting council gave us instructions to reach out to the business community directly and find out what the needs and wants were from them directly,” says Burke. “So we proceeded with the survey.”
Burke says staff received 45 responses from local businesses which will be showcased at tonight’s meeting. He says they will also update council on what actions are already underway with respect to each of the suggestions coming from the survey.
This meeting of council is for discussion only.
Council meets next on October 13, 2020 for a regular session.
