Derek Mahon, Battleford's 30th mayor by acclamation, had a relatively light council meeting ahead of him Nov. 5.
But for four new council members in attendance, it was their first chance to learn the ropes in what will be their job for the next four years.
Mahon started the meeting by reflecting on the accomplishments of the past council, including the Battle Springs subdivision, the new water treatment plant that opened several weeks prior, the highway twinning project and the work done on what has become known as "Yellowhead Alley."
Each of these developments, Mahon stated, had "set up the community for the future." He told the incoming council that in the upcoming months, during the budgeting process especially, council would have to continue this work on preparing the town for the future, emphasizing for example the work council has done with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities in securing funding for infrastructure.
The new council was faced with its first decisions during the meeting also, passing their first resolution. The Federation of Canadian Municipalities had written a letter to municipalities around the country, asking them to pass resolutions aimed at ensuring infrastructure funding for communities is maintained in the next federal budget. The letter provided a sample resolution that councils could pass that emphasized the importance of the Building Canada Plan.
After some discussion, Gordon Yarde motioned to pass the resolution as it had been received.
The Town also was faced with one of its first decisions after a letter came in from the Battle River Archers that expressed their interest in the old Battleford Curling Centre. The new council, learning quickly, deferred the matter to the parks and recreation board for further discussion.
New councillors also had the opportunity to discuss their plans for the future. Councillors explained the importance of showing off the town's emergency preparedness, discussed the possibility of an off-leash dog park and expressed a desire to meet with SaskPower to discuss the number of power outages the town experiences. Councillors also discussed a few river valley issues, including lighting paths in the river valley and addressing the number of quads in the area.
Not in attendance at the meeting was David George, who was just elected. George was on holiday and will be sworn in before his first council meeting.
