Raymond Council briefs

By Heather Cameron
For Westwind Weekly News

Bridge Crossing Subdivision discussion
Taylor Leavitt, a REMAX realtor associated with Hasegawa Engineering, brought forth a proposal that would allow for the changing of lot sizes depending on the needs of the town and with the desire to attract people from Lethbridge. It was one of the first items of discussion on the Raymond Council’s April 7 agenda.
The subdivision has already been approved for 58 lots, but Leavitt said that Hasegawa wants permission to change the size of each lot, as needed, but Council’s reaction was overly negative. The majority of council saw a big concern with the fact that such lots would detract from the openness of the community and another major concern being the lack of detail presented about the outlining of lots in each subdivision.
While Leavitt originally wanted another first reading to accommodate the changes, neither Mayor Bohne nor members of Council saw the purpose in doing so because the original proposal had already passed first reading and a new bylaw would ultimately have to be created.
With the desire for a better picture concerning the lots being the Council’s opinion, the motion to have a new first reading was denied, but Leavitt then reported that Hasegawa decided to switch back to using the original proposal, which had already been passed through first reading with a public hearing to be arranged and announced for a later date.
Tax Bylaw passes reading
Bylaw 1016-15, the annual tax rate by-law that Council is required to pass each year in order to set and collect taxes, was passed through first reading proposing the same tax rates as the previous year. Councillor Depew made the motion for a second reading and it was passed by all except for Councillor Ralph, who was not present.
Concerns over Town Website
Raymond resident Aaron Thygeson wrote a letter to Town Council expressing concerns over the fact that the Town website was not up to date After discussion to confirm that the site had been properly updated, Council elected to send a letter of thanks and indication that corrections had been properly made.
Council said that Thygeson had volunteered to come assist with the website and also emphasized that he should be informed that all meetings are public and he is welcome to attend, as the council wants to keep everything in the open and avoid transparency issues.
Raymond Mercantile to host Handibus Fundraiser
For two Saturdays in May, the Raymond Mercantile will be holding a fundraiser for the Handibus in the form of selling hot dogs, pop, and chips that will be provided by the Mercantile. The dates are yet to be determined and people are advised to keep an eye out for the information and also be aware that volunteers are being sought to make the event a success.
Grant Applications Approved
Raymond has received several grants recently that will benefit the community immensely.
The Town has received $350,000 from Alberta Community Partnership Grants that will go towards the Victoria Park Project and Municipal Services Commission; a year’s worth of Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding totaling $271,000 that will be put towards upgrading both the pool for the 2015 season and also upgrading and adding basketball courts to Centennial Park.
In additional to those grants, the Town will also eventually receive annual MSI Capital funding totaling $651,063 that will be put into the Victoria Park Project.