LETTERS TO COUNCIL BUT NOT READ #4 & #5 From LSARA
We, as an
Association, strive to collaborate and work together with Council of the Lac
Ste Anne County and wrote a letter on behalf of members and ratepayers, asking
simply that LSAC delay the passing of these Bylaws until proper consultation was
provided.
That letter was written on
April 7 and delivered via email and accepted by council as information. We then wrote yet another letter April 12 simply asking that Council look at changing the date of the Public Hearing from
a Wednesday to a Saturday when the Electors employed on a regular 9-5 Monday to
Wednesday job could attend.
Once again,
this letter was accepted as information only. No Public Open Houses have ever
been scheduled or held to give the residents of Lac Ste Anne the opportunity to
understand, collaborate or give input to these two bylaws.
Important to note as well, Lac Ste Anne and
Communities Ratepayers Association never received a response to these letters
even acknowledging receipt of same, instead we had to look to the minutes of
the Council meeting to see if they were even acknowledged as received.
Letter #4
No reply from LSAC to this letter was provided to the author.
Lac Ste Anne and Communities Ratepayers Association
P.O. Box 574, Onoway, Alberta T0E 1V0 lsaracares@gmail.com
County of Lac Ste. Anne
Box 219
Sangudo, AB
T0E 2A0
April 7, 2019
RE: Borrowing Bylaw 11-2019 Loan Bylaw 12-2019
To: Lac Ste. Anne County Council: Joe Blakeman, Nick Gelych, George Vaughan, Steve Hoyda, Lloyd Giebelhaus, Ross Bohnet, Lorne Olsvik
Without Prejudice:
Please accept this letter as a communication on behalf of Lac Ste. Anne and Communities
Ratepayers Association, hereinafter referred to as LSARA. The LSARA Executive and Directors are
writing to express our concern with respect to the two above noted Bylaws. It is very difficult to have an opportunity to review all of the information that was recently presented April 1, 2019 before the end of April 2019.
writing to express our concern with respect to the two above noted Bylaws. It is very difficult to have an opportunity to review all of the information that was recently presented April 1, 2019 before the end of April 2019.
With no advance information, Council and Administration put forward a presentation and 2 bylaws,
one to borrow and one to lend, to start with, a million dollars. In this same time frame, Council and
Administration presented the concept of two Corporations; Legacy MLC and ORMC MCC. Both
Bylaws advertised have very condensed timelines. These are not decisions that should be taken
lightly and, in our opinion, should not go forward without extensive Public Consultation. All
Ratepayers in Lac Ste. Anne County should have an opportunity to review, ask and have their
concerns addressed PRIOR to the issuance of the borrowing Bylaws as well as ahead of the
proposed Public Consultation May 1, 2019. There is no opportunity to be properly informed with the
opportunity to provide input in the time lines that are imposed in the advertisement.
While we understand the timelines may be within the guidelines of the Municipal Government Act,
they are not in keeping with the Values of Accountability, Transparency, Collaboration, Trust,
Respect, Integrity, Diversity, Sustainability. If Council does not believe in the above stated, advertised LSAC values, then we respectfully request that the CAO allow an extension on the Petition period for the Borrowing and the Loan Bylaws.
We are very concerned as Ratepayers with our current debt and total debt limits and believe that all
should be afforded the ability to gather all information in order to make an informed decision. We need to understand if there has been rationale applied to these concepts and whether or not this is
something our County should be pursuing in these harsh economic times. For the purpose of ensuring absolute clarity, LSARA wishes to advise that we are not, as a group, representing the Ratepayers of Lac Ste. Anne County against innovation and growth in the community and specifically a Medical Centre. Our point of concern is the formation of two corporations and two borrowing Bylaws which are major steps with potential liabilities. Full disclosure prior to any further action is, in our opinion, imperative. All of this is in the midst of some major changes to the Land Use Bylaws, a highly anticipated LSAC Draft Budget and a Provincial election is overwhelming to most people.
Please consider our request in accommodating a delay until such time as a proper public consultation has taken place. It is our request that Borrowing Bylaw 11-2019 and Loan Bylaw 12-2019
be rescinded and/or second and third readings be postponed to ensure the Ratepayers of Lac Ste. Anne County, the stakeholders, have had every opportunity to be apprised of potential benefits as well as the liabilities.
one to borrow and one to lend, to start with, a million dollars. In this same time frame, Council and
Administration presented the concept of two Corporations; Legacy MLC and ORMC MCC. Both
Bylaws advertised have very condensed timelines. These are not decisions that should be taken
lightly and, in our opinion, should not go forward without extensive Public Consultation. All
Ratepayers in Lac Ste. Anne County should have an opportunity to review, ask and have their
concerns addressed PRIOR to the issuance of the borrowing Bylaws as well as ahead of the
proposed Public Consultation May 1, 2019. There is no opportunity to be properly informed with the
opportunity to provide input in the time lines that are imposed in the advertisement.
While we understand the timelines may be within the guidelines of the Municipal Government Act,
they are not in keeping with the Values of Accountability, Transparency, Collaboration, Trust,
Respect, Integrity, Diversity, Sustainability. If Council does not believe in the above stated, advertised LSAC values, then we respectfully request that the CAO allow an extension on the Petition period for the Borrowing and the Loan Bylaws.
We are very concerned as Ratepayers with our current debt and total debt limits and believe that all
should be afforded the ability to gather all information in order to make an informed decision. We need to understand if there has been rationale applied to these concepts and whether or not this is
something our County should be pursuing in these harsh economic times. For the purpose of ensuring absolute clarity, LSARA wishes to advise that we are not, as a group, representing the Ratepayers of Lac Ste. Anne County against innovation and growth in the community and specifically a Medical Centre. Our point of concern is the formation of two corporations and two borrowing Bylaws which are major steps with potential liabilities. Full disclosure prior to any further action is, in our opinion, imperative. All of this is in the midst of some major changes to the Land Use Bylaws, a highly anticipated LSAC Draft Budget and a Provincial election is overwhelming to most people.
Please consider our request in accommodating a delay until such time as a proper public consultation has taken place. It is our request that Borrowing Bylaw 11-2019 and Loan Bylaw 12-2019
be rescinded and/or second and third readings be postponed to ensure the Ratepayers of Lac Ste. Anne County, the stakeholders, have had every opportunity to be apprised of potential benefits as well as the liabilities.
Your immediate attention to this communication is requested.
Respectfully submitted,
LSARA
Lac Ste. Anne and Communities Ratepayers Association
Letter #5
No reply from LSAC to this letter was provided to the author.
Lac Ste Anne and Communities Ratepayers Association
P.O. Box 574, Onoway, Alberta T0E 1V0 lsaracares@gmail.com
County of Lac Ste. Anne
Box 219
Sangudo, AB
T0E 2A0
April 12, 2019
RE: Borrowing Bylaw 11-2019 Loan Bylaw 12-2019
To: Lac Ste. Anne County Council: Joe Blakeman, Nick Gelych, George Vaughan, Steve Hoyda, Lloyd Giebelhaus, Ross Bohnet, Lorne Olsvik
Without Prejudice:
Please accept this letter as a communication on behalf of Lac Ste. Anne and Communities
Please accept this letter as a communication on behalf of Lac Ste. Anne and Communities
Ratepayers Association, hereinafter referred to as LSARA. The LSARA Executive and Directors are
writing to express our concern with respect to the two above noted Bylaws.
Further to our letter of April 7, 2019, we are respectfully asking for the PUBLIC HEARING to be held on a day in which the average working-class residents of the County of Lac Ste Anne may participate in the said Public Hearing. This request would be to respect ALL the residents and hold the Public Hearing on a Saturday, as it was with the Land Use Bylaw Public Hearing of Saturday, March 23, 2019, as well as all the public open houses which were held on a weekend. A public hearing is “an open gathering of officials and citizens, in which citizens are permitted to offer comments. Public Hearings are typically organized as a way to gather public opinions and concerns on political issues before a legislature, agency, or organization makes a decision or takes action”. Given there were no Open House Information Sessions, we do not believe the “Public” has had an adequate opportunity to provide concern, questions or input on a day or time in which they may not be permitted to attend the meeting due to employment restraints.
Further to our letter of April 7, 2019, we are respectfully asking for the PUBLIC HEARING to be held on a day in which the average working-class residents of the County of Lac Ste Anne may participate in the said Public Hearing. This request would be to respect ALL the residents and hold the Public Hearing on a Saturday, as it was with the Land Use Bylaw Public Hearing of Saturday, March 23, 2019, as well as all the public open houses which were held on a weekend. A public hearing is “an open gathering of officials and citizens, in which citizens are permitted to offer comments. Public Hearings are typically organized as a way to gather public opinions and concerns on political issues before a legislature, agency, or organization makes a decision or takes action”. Given there were no Open House Information Sessions, we do not believe the “Public” has had an adequate opportunity to provide concern, questions or input on a day or time in which they may not be permitted to attend the meeting due to employment restraints.
We understand time is of the essence here and that ads have gone out but as was demonstrated in the April 1 notification in the Bulletin, the time of the Public Hearing was changed from 10 am to 11 am in the next issue April 8, therefore we believe a date change can also be re-advertised.
Your attention and a response to this communication is requested immediately given the time frame of all the impending approvals.
Respectfully submitted,
LSARA
Lac Ste. Anne and Communities Ratepayers Association
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