Saskatoon City Council omnibus: Electronic voting, business in parks and transit advice
It was a busy day at Saskatoon City Council Monday. Here are some of the highlights:
Transit Advisory Committee
Council voted to establish a Transit Advisory Committee, made up of members of the bus riding public, business owners and city administration.
The committee will be tasked with making recommendations to improve service at Saskatoon Transit, and increase ridership.
"We need a better system," said Bus Riders of Saskatoon member Cameron McMillan. "Despite the affordability, our current system requires a good deal of time to use, and all of our time is quite valuable."
Councillor Pat Lorje pointed out that the city has had a Transit Advisory Committee in the past, but it was shelved several years ago. She said she hopes that the current incarnation would have more influence than last time.
Parking Fee Increase
Parking ticket fees are on the rise, with a few notable exceptions.
Fees for everything from unlawfully using disabled parking spaces to splashing pedestrians have been raised by council.
One thing that won't be going up, at least for now, are fines for parking at an expired meter.
With the switch over to new parking stations expected this spring, council has decided to keep the penalty for parking at an expired meter at $20.
The fee will be raised to $30 once people get used to the new system.
Business Parks
Council has voted to allow businesses to operate within parks this summer.
That means businesses, including Segway rentals, will be able to set up shop within Saskatoon parks.
However, food and beverages will not be allowed to be sold within park limits.
Administration worried about the extra garbage that would be generated. General Manager of Community Services Randy Grauer also told council there were generally many food and drink options available in close proximity to parks right now.
Council agreed to the report, but asked administration to report back on adding food and beverages to the program next year.
Decorative Lights
The "winter lights" on 3rd Avenue will live on for another day.
The "non-Holiday related" LED lights will be kept up until March 20th.
The cost for extending the program on 3rd Avenue was pegged at $200.
Councillor Charlie Clark had previously suggested he would pay the money to keep the lights up, but council agreed to tackle the extra expense.
Lights more closely related to the Christmas season will be taken down.
Electronic Voting
Finally, council voted in favour of recorded, electronic voting.
Under the new system, councillors would press a "yes or no" button for every vote. The decision would then be projected onto a screen in council chambers.
The new electronic system should be in place by March.
Until then, votes will be recorded by the City Clerk.
