Special Request to Suspend Rent and Utility Payments Granted

Special Request to Suspend Rent and Utility Payments Granted

Michelle Pinon News Advertiser

Members of Vegreville town council voted in favour of suspending rent and utility payments for a business which leases property from the town during its April 15 meeting.

Paul Casey, Corporate Services Director for the Town of Vegreville, brought the request for decision forward stating, “The background is council received correspondence from a business leasing a premise from the Town of Vegreville requesting suspension of rent and utilities for a specified period of time. Council discussed the correspondence in closed session at the legislative committee meeting on April 7, 2020. The financial implications is the town will defer rent and utility payments for a specified period under the terms and conditions discussed in the closed session.”

Casey said the business will be notified of council’s decision. Mayor Tim MacPhee then requested a motion. Councillor Berry made the motion granting the request. MacPhee added, “We can’t have a lot of discussion about this because it was in closed session. So all those in favour? Carried.”

During a telephone interview on April 17, MacPhee reiterated that since the discussion was held in closed session, he is not allowed to comment on it, except to say, “It was something that I can guarantee that all of council felt it was very important.

He went on to say, “Because we haven’t agreed with this company on what the terms are going to be yet, so we cannot discuss it. What we did is we passed a motion regarding the offer, the package we put together in closed session, and we’re waiting for their response. If this negotiation goes well, and both parties are happy, then that information will come to light.”

Under Section 197 of the Municipal Government Act, states that councils and council committees, must conduct their meetings in public unless the matter to be discussed is within one of the exceptions to disclosure in Division 2 of Part 1 of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) sections 16-19. Items that would allow a council to close a council meeting, which include matters where a public disclosure could be harmful to: Third party business interest, third party personal privacy, individual or public safety, law enforcement, intergovernmental relations and economic or other interests. Public bodies should not: reveal confidential employee evaluations, disclose local public body confidences or advice from officials, or disclose information that is subject to any kind of legal privilege.