If Flin Flonners aren’t going to mow their overgrown boulevards, then the city should – and send the homeowner the bill.
That’s the approach Coun. Colleen McKee is advocating after observing that some residents are failing to maintain boulevards adjacent to their yards.
She made the statement at Tuesday’s council meeting after saying Flin Flon has started to look cleaner since the city implemented its Clean and Green initiative.
“But one thing that I’m still not seeing is there are people that refuse to mow their boulevards,” McKee said. “And what I would like to see is, I’d like to see the city go out and mow them and charge them back to the people that are refusing to do it. It’s not fair if your boulevard is full of dandelions and…everyone else is [mowing their boulevards]. Every other city is doing it. I’m not sure why Flin Flon feels that they are different.”
McKee commended residents who do mow their boulevards, adding, “It just seems to be the odd one here and there. You know, you’re driving and things look good and then there’s [large] dandelions. It’s just not fair to those people that are [mowing boulevards].”
She agreed with Coun. Guy Rideout when he said that some boulevards may go unmowed because of the age of the homeowners and the slope of the boulevard. She said the city will have to look at ways of providing support in those situations.
Flin Flon has had a bylaw compelling residents to mow the boulevards adjacent to their homes since July 2011. If a homeowner refuses to comply, the city has the right to mow the boulevard itself and tack the cost onto the resident’s property tax bill.
The preamble of the bylaw states that “many boulevard areas in Flin Flon have grass that needs seasonal cutting” and that the city “does not have the resources to mow all boulevard areas as a free service to the public.”
Improvements
Council agreed to cover half the cost of up to three community-improvement projects.
Council authorized recreation programmer Nicole Hartman to apply for federal grants for each of three projects: washroom upgrades at the RH Channing Auditorium, engineering drawings for the proposed Flin Flon Aqua Centre renovations, and the addition of more electrical outlets at the municipal campground.
In addition, council agreed to fund 50 per cent of the tab for any or all projects that receive the grants, which would come through the Canada 150 Community Infrastructure Program.
“It would be wonderful if we can access those dollars,” said Mayor Cal Huntley.
Misunderstanding
More light was shed on an apparent difference of understanding between council and Manitoba’s Public Utilities Board (PUB).
In 2014, PUB ruled the city could boost utility rates by 30 per cent effective October 1 of that year, which it did.
The ruling, available on PUB’s website, also set out “proposed” rates for 2015, 2016 and 2017. A PUB spokesman confirms this language meant the city had the authority to raise rates to those levels in each of those three years.
But the city never did implement the additional rate increases, and Huntley said council has not been told by PUB that it has the authority to do so.
“There was some confusion there, both on their part and their interpretation of what they had given us,” he said. “There was an assumption made that they had given us a schedule to refer to, and permission for the next couple of years, and we still haven’t received the order that we need to receive to do that.”
Asked whether PUB was mistaken when it said the city already had permission for the additional increases, Huntley replied: “There’s some confusion and they’re going to clarify.”
The mayor said he believed the situation would now be resolved quickly.
“The disturbing part is, we’ve been having dialogue with them for the last year and a half, trying to get an answer from them,” said Huntley. “All they needed to say [was], ‘Hey, we’ve already passed this and here it is.’ I don’t understand. Anyways, we’re not going to make a big deal out of it, but we do believe it will be resolved in the short term and we’ll be moving forward with the increase.”
Council has said further utility increases are necessary given rising costs within the utility system.
Fees
Council took the first step toward leveling the paying field for all mobile vending units that do business in Flin Flon.
Council approved first reading of a motion to set fees for owners of such units at $500 for a year and $75 for a single day.
Chief administrative officer Mark Kolt said “transient traders” who set up in Flin Flon are currently paying more than food vendors. The motion will make the fees the same.
Huntley said the current bylaw includes a “loophole.” The changes still require a third and final reading, expected to be passed at council’s next meeting in July.
Detectors
Referencing the recent explosion at Stittco Energy Ltd, Coun. Ken Pawlachuk urged residents who use propane in their homes, garages or cabins to install a propane detector.
“What happened [at Stittco] could have happened anywhere. It wasn’t because it was Stittco. It happened because they had gas in a building and it ignited,” he said.
Pawlachuk called propane detectors “great insurance” and likened the units to smoke detectors.
“The thought always is that propane has an odour, so you’ll smell it, but I agree with you, Coun. Pawlachuk,” said Huntley.
On the morning of May 25, the mechanical shop at Stittco was destroyed by an accidental explosion. Investigators determined a propane truck inside the shop was inadvertently leaking propane.
