City council preview: Trio of key items on Monday’s agenda at Red Deer City Hall

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Second, council will consider framework changes to the municipal Vehicle for Hire Bylaw.

The bylaw has been in effect for two years, and was implemented to level the playing field for varying types of services in the industry.

Council requested a report back after two years so it could determine if changes were needed.

The City says it has heard from industry and the public on various aspects of the bylaw, including through a public engagement process this spring.

Amendments are being proposed to the following areas:

• Age of vehicles
• Taxi plate limits
• Taxi drop rates
• Transportation Network Company (rideshare) drop rates
• Regulations for Transportation Network Companies

“The goal of the bylaw at the time of implementation, and through this review process, continues to ensure the sustainability, accessibility and safety requirements of drivers and customers who use and operate vehicles for hire in Red Deer,” said Amy Fengstad, Acting Inspections and Licensing Manager.

Should council approve administration’s recommendations, an updated bylaw will come back to council for first reading at a later date.

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Finally, council will consider fundamental areas to inform a future Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw.

Cats, dogs, chickens and honeybees will be some of the animals council will discuss at Monday’s regular meeting.

Fundamental areas means:

• Whether to license cats and, if so, whether we limit the number of cats.
• The limits on the number of dogs.
• The number of urban chickens to a licence and the number of licences.
• Whether to allow honeybee hives.

Administration’s recommendations stem from a multi-year public participation process, industry consultation, as well as technical expertise from enforcement agencies and ecological experts.

The top three issues are:

• Roaming cats
• Dogs off leash
• Enforcement ability

“Through a future Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw, our intention is to address these top concerns, ensure the safety of pets and residents, and reduce nuisance factors,” said Fengstad. “With roaming cats being the number one pet-related issue heard, we believe our recommendation to introduce a cat license will help this issue, while also improving our ability to re-unite lost cats with their owners.”

The City explains that a future Responsible Pet Ownership Bylaw would combine four bylaws that currently regulate animals in our city into one bylaw, including the Dog Bylaw, Cat Bylaw, Urban Chicken Bylaw and aspects of the Community Standards Bylaw.

Part of Monday’s discussion there will also be a budget ask.

rdnewsNOW will have more on these matters later this coming week.