CARSTAIRS – Council is one step closer to passing a bylaw to lower the speed limit in Carstairs to 40 km/h from 50 km/h.
At the regular council meeting on Jan. 22 council carried first reading for the traffic bylaw (Bylaw No. 1062).
"We're proposing to lower the speed limit to 40 kilometres per hour throughout the community," said CAO Carl McDonnell. "Council passed first reading of that one. Now they want to get feedback from the public on going to 40 kilometres per hour. The community would be 40 kilometres per hour unless otherwise posted.
"So parks, playgrounds, school zones would still maintain their 30-kilometre-per-hour zones. Anything on highways 580, 581 and 2A are under provincial jurisdiction so they would remain at the posted speed limit that the province has. Primarily it will be the residential and business areas that will go to 40 kilometres per hour."
McDonnell said they are hoping to have implementation by May 1.
The town is asking people to send in letters or emails to give feedback.
"We'd be looking at a public hearing on Feb. 26 at the regular council meeting," he said. "If we see some feedback we'll determine whether we'll have it during a council meeting, or if we have hundreds of people we might host it at a different night in a different venue. It'll depend on the replies we receive."
In other council news, council heard delegations from representatives from the local chamber of commerce, museum and library as well as school trustee for Ward 9 (Carstairs-Cremona) Melissa Copley.
McDonnell said that the chamber, museum and library receive funding from the town.
"Annually they come and present their five-year plan to council and why they're asking for the money they're asking for," said McDonnell. "Melissa Copley was there as the school trustee to update us on what she's been up to since being elected in October and seeing if there were any concerns."
McDonnell said the main issue Copley mentioned was about congestion around the busing areas, especially on the cold weather days.
Council also heard from two neighbours on Carriage Lane Drive about a holiday trailer parking issue.
"This is a neighbour dispute," he said. "One neighbour has his trailer parked in such a way the other neighbour doesn't like it. Council listened to both sides and instructed administration to review the bylaw and get back to both homeowners."
Council approved bylaw No. 1059, the council code of conduct.
"Council had one (before), but with the new MGA (municipal government act) there were certain parameters," he said. "Sundre had a code of conduct and had a legal review of it and it adheres to the regulations of the new MGA. They shared it with us and we thought it was great. So that was what we adopted."
