Region of Queens council approved spending a million dollars on equipment and adopted the land use bylaw at their last meeting.

The big news out of the May 24 council meeting was the adoption of the Land Use Bylaw and Municipal Planning Strategy.

Several other items were adopted including setting a policy for council to hold meetings in communities throughout Queens instead of being tied to council chambers.

Council also waived a policy to permit the sale and consumption of alcohol on region property.

The waiver will be in place from June until the end of the year to allow Liverpool Farmers Market vendors in Centennial Park to sell alcohol and provide samples to customers.

Some equipment will be upgraded as the region will be spending $688,000 to rebuild a compactor at the regional waste facility.

Public Works will also be receiving a Komatsu excavator worth $356,500.

The purchase was already in the budget and will be paid out of the equipment reserve.

The tidy sum being spent on landfill is worth it says Mayor Darlene Norman.

“It’s what happens when you own a landfill. People have to understand that landfills make us revenue and if it were not for the landfill we would be looking at a higher tax rate.”

Council closed their meeting with a discussion generated from a staff report outlining ways to pay for approximately $2 million in needed heating and ventilation repairs at the Liverpool Business Development Centre.

“That went back to the drawing board to come back again at our next meeting,” said Norman. “The numbers are large and it was suggested that there could be other options available. So council was interested in hearing of these other options.”

Council regularly meets on the second and fourth Tuesday of every month and the next session is scheduled for June 14.

Reported by Ed Halverson 
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson

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