BONNYVILLE – Before the MD of Bonnyville’s regular council meeting had started with new business on Jan. 10, items were withdrawn from the agenda regarding the municipality’s fire policies, along with others following a request from a councillor who was unable to attend the meeting.
The Jan. 10 meeting was the first MD council meeting to ever be on a Tuesday. Previously, meetings were held on Wednesdays.
The councillor who requested the postponement of agenda items was not identified by the reeve, however, two councillors, Darcy Skarsen and Dana Swigart, were absent from the meeting.
Council was set to discuss proposed amendments to the municipality’s Fire Suppression and Cost Recovery Policy and the proposed rescinding of the MD’s Financial Assistance for Victims of Fire Policy, but council members agreed to postpone the decision to a future meeting.
As a result, two other items were also removed from the agenda due to the changes preemptively prepared for the Master Rates Bylaw. These items included amendments to the Master Rate Bylaw and the proposed Waste and Resource Recovery Management Bylaw.
Fire Suppression and Cost Recovery
While no public hearings were required for council to adopt changes to the fire policies, the change to the meeting's agenda came as an inconvenience for two MD residents who attended the meeting specifically to hear council’s discussion and decision on the proposed changes.
According to MD documents posted online prior to the meeting, the proposed changes to the Fire Suppression and Cost Recovery Policy are designed to increase annual revenue for the municipality by $250,000 through services provided by the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority (BRFA) within the MD.
Documents were removed when an updated agenda was posted following the Jan. 10 meeting.
The 2023 operating budget passed by MD council on Nov. 23 has already factored in the additional revenue expected to be generated through BRFA services that have typically been provided free of charge under the current policy.
Responding to an inquiry by Lakeland This Week, Regional Fire Chief Dan Heney confirmed that at present, neither the BRFA nor the municipalities it serves invoices property owners for fire suppression unless gross negligence is determined to be the cause of the fire by investigators.
One example of negligence that Heney provided as a scenario that could see someone billed for fire suppression is when a grass or wildfire starts because of someone starting a fire in a pit or other manner, during a fire ban.
The MD’s current policy for fire services cost recovery states: “In the case of property or personal loss fires, the landowner or person in control of the land may be advised by letter of the costs involved in extinguishing the fire and will be requested to forward these costs to their insurer for re-imbursement to the Fire Services. Where no insurance for property or personal loss fires exists, the letter shall be for information purposes only. Where the fire is not considered a municipal responsibility under this policy and the Fire Services have responded, all costs associated thereto may be charged to the landowner or person in control of the land.”
If council moves forward with the proposed amendments to the policy, several changes as to how the municipality will recover costs related to fire services will be introduced.
The proposed policy says the municipality may charge a fee to residents and ratepayers with regards to fire suppression activities for “the costs of any materials used, and third-party costs where the MD has engaged in any response service for any duration of time.”
The BRFA will then be required to fill out a Cost Recovery Form and submit it to the MD of Bonnyville’s general manager of Environmental and Protective Services who will then provide it to the CAO for final approval before it is submitted to the Finance department for invoicing.
The rates for these services will be charged “from when the equipment leaves the base facility until it is deemed back in service, rounded to the next one-half hour.”
Fees for services may also include, but are not limited to, replacement of foam, meals and refreshments, fuel, lost or damaged equipment and clothing, fire investigation costs, and specialty firefighting services.
Cost recovery charges must be paid within 60 days of receipt, according to the proposed policy. However, landowners invoiced by the MD for costs involved in extinguishing a fire may appeal the invoice or submit a request to council for the fees to be waived.
The proposed policy also notes that any requests to council to waive fees must be made in writing within 30 days of the invoice date.
Financial Assistance for Victims of Fire
Council was also slated to vote on whether the municipality would rescind or keep a municipal grant program that allows the CAO to authorize a one-time bursary in the amount of $2,500 to victims of fire.
Previous discussions on the matter during a regular council meeting on Nov. 23 saw council members share differences of opinion on whether the grant should stay or go.
The MD of Bonnyville’s next regular council meeting is Jan. 24. at 9 a.m.
Related Story: MD of Bonnyville debates future of policy that provides money to victims of fire
