Winter is officially here and along with equipment changeover and some winter facility hour implementation, we're getting ready for year-end and all of the opportunities that 2019 holds. Council is resuming debate on the proposals for changes to waste services and how they're funded on Monday. In addition, debate on Budget 2019 will take place Nov. 26-28th. More on these under 'city-wide updates' and also 'city council' sections below. 

Ward 2 updates: 

- Riversdale! November 25th is the deadline to provide feedback on the draft changes that came from the neighbourhood traffic review. Visit here to see the draft traffic plan and recommendations (under the 2018 studies). The linked presentation contains definitions of the traffic calming tools being proposed. 

- Bus Barns / South Caswell Redevelopment
The Request for Proposals for the sale, rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of a portion of the South Caswell Bus Barns site has been released. Proposals will be evaluated against a set of criteria including the existing concept plan and priorities. The submission deadline is December 12.  

- Proposed discretionary use
Lots of feedback was received at and since the public information meeting about the discretionary use application (proposed pre-school) received for a property on 11th Street West in the Montgomery neighbourhood. Recognizing that the process and details haven't been as clear as they should be, the administration is working to ensure that complete and accurate information is distributed and may hold an additional meeting. Once community consultation is complete the administration will write a recommendation about whether or not to grant discretionary use as a pre-school. This report and recommendation will be received by the Municipal Planning Commission, and will go to City Council for final decision - likely in the new year. To receive ongoing and more frequent email updates on this proposal, please reach out to City Planner Ashley Kostyniuk: [email protected] who is leading this review.

City wide updates: 

- Budget deliberations take place Nov. 26th - 28th. Details about the draft budget can be found here and options for engaging at the meeting are the same as any regular business meeting of Council. More on the process under 'City Council' below. 

- Waste management - garbage & organics
Council will resume debate on waste management programs and how they are funded. In October, Council decided to proceed with a city-wide Organics (green bin) program. Outstanding questions and debate revolve around the funding model - whether through property taxes, utility fees, or a blend of the two. This decision impacts not only the affordability for various types of payers in the City, but also the potential success in diverting unnecessary waste from the landfill, as well as potential contamination in the diversion (recycling, organics) systems. More on these questions and Additional information to support council decisions are published here under item 6.1. A graphical summary of funding options can be found here.
I appreciate all of the opportunities I've had to hear from Ward 2 residents about your desires for and concerns about changes to these services. I will continue focusing on affordability both in the short term and in the long term. What this means is that I want to be sure that any changes remain affordable for residents immediately, but also that we do not incur unnecessary expenses that will cost us all more in the long run. The challenge facing our community is not only one of environmental sustainability, but also of financial sustainability, and the direction we take now will have long-lasting impacts. It's critical that we get it right and I grateful for your engagement. 

- Transportation & Growing Forward - BRT & Cycling
A new round of engagements is taking place over the next month to hear from you about options related to routing for BRT and cycling lanes. Engagement opportunities are listed under the 'getting involved' tab here. A few more Come and Go events are currently being scheduled within and nearer to Ward 2, so check back soon to get details on those. I will share them on social media once available as well. 

- Transit system upgrades on the go & disruptions
There are some Transit system upgrades taking place involving communications systems that deliver real-time information about our fleet. There may be some disruptions to real-time bus locations during this time. Upgrades will not impact ability to use apps to plan routes. If you're not already using online trip planning, consider visiting saskatoontransit.ca or downloading the 'Transit App'. 

- Check out this beautiful video created to promote the Creative City Summit being hosted in Saskatoon next fall. More about the event here.

- Much discussion has taken place around the Imagine Idylwyld project and the hard-to-believe projected traffic improvements within a narrowed driving surface. The plans not only improve congestion/traffic flow, but also leave more space for public realm improvements including better sidewalk design, a raised cycling track, and public amenities. This video illustrating how it will all work is available for viewing. I encourage you to take a look.

Consultations/Workshops to participate in:

- Transportation & Growing Forward - BRT & Cycling
A new round of engagements is taking place over the next month to hear from you about options related to routing for BRT and cycling lanes. Engagement opportunities are listed under the 'getting involved' tab here. A few more Come and Go events are currently being scheduled within and nearer to Ward 2, so check back soon so get details on those. I will share them on social media once available as well. 

- Interested in engaging regularly? Consider joining our Citizen Advisory Panel. 
Members of the Citizen Advisory Panel are invited to participate in regular online surveys to provide input and ideas on improving City services.

Did you know...

The next Household Hazardous Waste drop off date is November 17. Drop off is in the Sasktel Centre parking lot (101-3515 Thatcher Ave); Info about what can be accepted here. Also, the drop off spot will be changing next year to the Civic Operations Centre. I'll provide a reminder in the new year.

City Council

City Council meets Monday (November 19th) at City Hall in City Council chambers. As always, Council meetings are open to the public. Brief highlights are outlined below. For full agenda, visit https://www.saskatoon.ca/city-hall/city-council-boards-committees/council/minutes-and-agendas

Budget deliberations take place the following week beginning on Nov. 26th. Deliberations will begin at 1pm and run as late as 11pm Mon-Wed that week or as long as is required. Details about the budget can be found here and options for engaging at the meeting are the same as above for any regular business meeting of Council. The agenda document will be released next week. 

Regular Business Meeting  | 1:00 PM  
  - Waste & Organics - programs & payment options
  - Organics Program - Issuance of RFP
  - Development Prepaid Servicing Rates & Community Centre Levy - 2018 rate adjustments
  - Standalone funding agreements (non-profits) 
  - Sports participation grant amendments
  - Budget adjustment - Optimist Hill
  - Montgomery Place LAP final report
  - Public Transit Infrastructure Funding - budget adjustment
  - Airport Authority - tax exemption & request for abatement
  - Storm Water management credit program (industrial/commercial)
  - Storm Water Management Utility Bylaw
  - Transportation Capital projects - supplemental project detail
  - Commissionaires - transportation related contract extension
  - Corporate Reorganization
  - Low Emissions Community (Climate Change Plan) - award of RFP
  - Right-of-way boulevard leases
  - Annual appointments - boards & committees - public & council members
  - Future Arena & Convention Centre planning - downtown focus
  - Bylaw amendments: 
    - BIDs Financial reporting
    - Temporary Wheelchair accessible taxi licences

Public Hearing Meeting  |  6:00 PM
  - Land Use hearings: rezonings, discretionary use hearings (none in Ward 2)
  - Amendments to zoning district RA1 (Reinvestment District 1) including renaming to MX2 (Downtown Warehouse Mixed-use) 
  - Proclamations & Flag Raisings
  
As always, if you'd like to speak to Council as a whole about something on the agenda, please get in touch with the Clerk's office or fill out the form at the link before 10 am the day of the meeting. https://www.saskatoon.ca/write-letter-councilcommittees