Members of Town of Sexsmith council are looking for a temporary new home as the discussion surrounding resuming in-person meetings is heating up. Mayor Kate Potter says while the topic received a deep dive at their July 5th meeting, a number of hurdles need to be passed before they can start looking at a firm date.
“A number of our members have extra considerations, whether it be immunocompromised or health issues… we have older council members who obviously we want to take into consideration and be aware of as we plan to meet back together,” she explains.
Potter adds the new space is a major need for more than just the health and safety of members of council.
“We do have to overcome some additional challenges with our location because our council chambers are not large enough to do the social distancing and have enough room for councillors, administration and any public that would wish to attend”
Potter says among the locations that council is mulling over include the Legion/Elk’s room in Sexsmith, as well as space in the Sexsmith community centre. She adds the hope is to resume in-person meetings in September.
Grande Prairie Mayor Bill Given says councillors in the city have been having similar discussions, but for the moment, no firm plans have been put in place.
“We also face some challenges with our physical space in council chambers, and that’s why for the time being we will continue with zoom, but we are obviously watching the situation and trying to assess a way to get back to operations as normal as possible as soon as reasonable.”
Municipal councils across the region have been meeting digitally since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March.