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Council wants to hire bylaw officer

Search for bylaw officer underway
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Unsightly yards are cause for concern in Rimbey and a search for a bylaw officer is now underway to help deal with the problem. Treena Mielke Photo

By Treena Mielke

Rimbey’s town council is on the lookout for a bylaw office.

At its meeting, June 26 council agreed to instruct CAO Lori Hillis to begin the search for a bylaw enforcement officer.

The officer would be required for two to three days per week reflecting up to 1,248 hours per year at a cost of up to $48,000 ($38 per hour).

These amounts reflect the cost of the officer only and do not include the cost of vehicle fuel, maintenance or administrative costs.

The need for a bylaw officer has come to light in regards to the number of unsightly premises in Rimbey.

The director of public works, Rick Schmidt has been dealing with these issues by sending letters requesting the owners to clean up their yards, but he does not have the authority to issue tickets.

During Monday’s meeting, one of the people in the gallery spoke to Schmidt about thistles in a nearby yard that were spreading to her own yard.

This year complains have been received on an ongoing basis regarding lawns which have not been mowed and properties with excessive weeks.

This is in direct contravention with the town’s nuisance bylaw which states ‘nuisance’ means any use or activity upon any property, which is offensive.

This includes grass and/or weeds in excess of twenty centimeters.

Homeowners need to ensure any weeds or grass on their property is controlled.

Trees need to be trimmed back to the property line.

A peace officer program was suspended in Rimbey in May due to the lack of billable hours as the Summer Village of Parkland Beach and the Summer Villages near Sylvan Lake terminated their programs, which were operated through the Town of Rimbey.