The March meeting of the North-Cypress Langford Council began, as usual, with planning matters including a routine public hearing for a new subdivision. Two significant discussions that came out of that portion of the meeting were permission to install a temporary drainage pipeline for Spruce Woods Colony, which Council wanted to ensure had a timeline for removal, and proposed locations for a new telecommunications tower. There are bylaws in place that dictate where a tower can be installed within the municipality that limit the number of options. The planning district is in communication with Rogers about the proposal and will update Council if anything moves forward.

Following the planning discussions, Council heard from a delegation from the Central Assiniboine Watershed District. Land within North Cypress-Langford falls into one of two watershed districts - Whitemud Watershed District to the north and Central Assiniboine to the south. The delegation was attending primarily to give Council an update on their current funding and ongoing operations such as erosion control and conserving wetlands. Discussion also turned to mutual programs, such as the rebate that the municipality offers to landowners who install shelter belts.

A new item that came up at this meeting were the municipality’s land leases. These are long-standing agreements with residents, however at this point the municipality is losing money on the leases compared to what they would earn from municipal taxes on the land. Council is considering selling those parcels of land, offering first option to the current lessees.

Water drainage and dust control were both on the agenda at this meeting, one a problem as we head into spring and the other a problem once the drier weather comes. Council has seen several drainage problems and have received requests for help over the past few months, and is considering contacting the provincial government for more consistent policy and enforcement of water drainage concerns. Dust control receives a mixed response throughout the municipality, but is necessary in some areas such as inside the village of Brookdale. Due to the expense of the endeavour and the inconsistent support, Council is considering suggesting that residents in certain areas handle their dust control privately.

Finally, Council had a productive and animated conversation around scholarships. After committing to increase the scholarship amounts for both high schools within the municipality, they discussed the suggestion of creating an additional scholarship targeted specifically towards people entering healthcare fields, particularly those who would return to work within the area. While there were arguments for and against, in general Council was very positive towards the suggestion and is looking at working with the Health Action Committee to sponsor the new scholarships.

Also covered were minor bylaw updates, a potential FoodCycler program, quotes for equipment upgrades, regular financial matters, and several pieces of correspondence.