Red Deer Minute: Business Levy, Lengthy Testimony, and the Public Hearing Continues

Red Deer Minute - Your weekly one-minute summary of Red Deer politics

This Week In Red Deer:

• Today, at 10:30 am, the City Council Public Hearing regarding the temporary homeless shelter will continue. Recall that last week, only 13 of 32 members of the public who registered to speak were able to be heard. (More on that below). On Tuesday, there will be a City Council Special Meeting. No start time or agenda for this meeting is available yet.
  
  
• The Public Art Commission will meet on Wednesday at 5:00 pm. They will spend the entire meeting in a closed session discussing the Public Art Community Grant.
  
  
• On Thursday, at 1:00 pm, the Nomination Committee will meet. After the Committee elects a Chair and Vice-Chair, they will spend the rest of the meeting in a closed session reviewing applications that have been received for Council Committees.

Last Week In Red Deer:

• A Public Hearing was held to discuss the temporary homeless shelter. The zoning for the temporary shelter at Cannery Row is set to expire in February 2024, but seeing as how we don’t seem any closer to a permanent shelter, residents had the opportunity to weigh in on an extension to the temporary one. Council heard lengthy testimony from both those in favour and those opposed. Business owners spoke at length about how bad the downtown has become, while those seeking to assist people experiencing homelessness described how overwhelmed their resources have become. After only 13 of 32 speakers were able to get to the microphone, Council elected to continue the public hearing today.
  
  
• Council approved the Downtown Business Association’s budget for 2024 which included a 5% increase to the mandatory levy for downtown businesses. The DBA claimed that they have been drawing on reserves to cover expenses and currently have no full time staff. For 2024, approximately 370 businesses are expected to contribute an additional 5%, amounting to an estimated $13,225, to fund DBA projects. The total approved budget for the DBA in 2024 is $775,160, of which $277,725 is provided by the Business Levy, and the remaining balance is covered by sources like grants and contracts.
  
  
• A small green space at the end of an Eastview block has been rezoned to allow for a multifamily development. The City currently owns the property and will be looking to sell it to a developer in the near future. The space originally had a playground on it but that playground was removed in 1992 and the land has been empty ever since. Citing the need for more housing, Council opted to approve the rezoning with only Councillor Wyntjes voting against the rezoning.

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