At the December 17 Council meeting, Council passed two bylaws that will impact the community in 2020.

The first bylaw approved on Tuesday was an update to the Unsightly Property Bylaw. Major changes include not allowing the parking of trailers and vehicles on front lawns, increased fines for unsightly construction sites, and adding the ability to charge vehicle owners caught dumping waste.

“We live in a beautiful community and this bylaw helps our peace officers ensure that it stays that way,” says Mayor Marshall Chalmers. “In particular, it will help them enforce our expectations of responsible property ownership so that we can all enjoy a safe and tidy city.”

The second approved bylaw was the Fire Services Bylaw.

The new bylaw establishes Chestermere Fire Services as the official provider of fire/rescue services within the City of Chestermere, establishes the role of the Fire Chief and defines Fire Services’ jurisdiction and enforcement of fire related costs and services.

“Our Fire Services team does a great deal more than just respond to fires and this bylaw provides clarity on their roles and responsibilities,” says Mayor Chalmers. “On occasion, they have to respond to multiple false alarms at the same address. This bylaw enables them to recover the cost of that work.”

In addition to the bylaw updates, Council also approved the creation of the Chestermere Economic Development Advisory Committee that will exist to help support economic investment and attraction in our community. Council will be seeking resident members for the committee in early 2020.

For more information on all Council decisions, the minutes from past meetings can be found at www.chestermere.ca/agendas.