Lethbridge City Hall. (Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

City Hall looks to improve communications prior to public hearings

Mar 10, 2020 | 2:14 PM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – The City of Lethbridge is aware that some residents feel they are not given proper notice prior to public hearings and is taking steps to address that.

Manager of Planning and Development Maureen Gaehring presented the findings of her report on Public Hearing Communications to city council this week.

She reviewed the best practices of other Albertan municipalities and interviewed residents before coming up with an action plan.

Currently, when there is an application to rezone or redevelop a property, the city sends out notices to nearby residents after council has already done its first reading.

Gaehring says they will now be sending out neighbourhood notices as soon as the application is received, meaning locals will have at least an extra month to review the application.

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“There’s an additional two week period, at least, after that as well when the bylaw goes to first reading. Then we would send out a second letter just telling residents when the public hearing is, so it gives them at least six weeks.”

Since the city typically has the application for this amount of time anyways, this change is not expected to impede development times.

As well, the municipality will now be sending notices to homes within 100 metres of the affected property, up from the current 60-metre zone.

These two steps are in effect immediately.

The City of Lethbridge website will also be updated to include a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section, answering inquiries such as your role at a public hearing and what would be required of you if you wish to speak.

“They’ll be doing a template on just how to submit concerns or a letter to council, there’ll be a form to fill out. For some people who’ve never been through this process before, which is probably the majority of residents, it can be a bit confusing and [there’s] just a bit of uncertainty as to what that submission should look like.”

The web changes should be implemented in the coming months.

The City Clerk’s office will also be exploring a Public Notification Bylaw in the future. The details of what could entail are not currently known.