Sylvan Lake Town Council will be available and open to discussion during the Coffee with Council event this month.
This event is meant to be mutually beneficial to both councillors and the community allowing each party to get better acquainted, with councillors on hand ready to answer any questions posed by the community.
The event has become a bit of a tradition said Sylvan Lake communications officer Joanne Gaudet.
“It’s a busy time of year for us in the fall,” she said. “Everyone is coming back from summer and we’re trying to wrap up construction projects.”
In addition to finishing up current projects - the Town will begin work on the budget for 2016 in which some of the feedback heard from the community during the event will be used to influence future plans.
Community members are welcome to ask about the ins and outs of how different things are administered, how initiatives are prepared, or why council does what they do.
“It’s a great opportunity to get those questions answered,” Guadet said. “The community of Sylvan Lake is the people we work for, so it’s good to see where they are coming from and what kind of concerns they have.”
The event also provides a great opportunity for community members to clear up any concerns they may have.
“Not everyone has the time or the patience to fully understand what’s going on in and out of the organization,” Gaudet said.
The overall goal of this event is for Council to be more accessible to the community in a face to face manner and not just through email or telephone.
“It’s an extra initiative,” Gaudet said. “It’s casual, fun, informative and we’re able to meet with everyone. So often you get an email or a call and you can’t put a face to someone - overall, it’s a good opportunity to become more familiar with our residents.”
At the event Council tries to focus on one major initiative, with this year’s focus being on the land use bylaw review – a bylaw that over sees things such as how the town will zone, plan and prepare different areas in the community.
“It’s a very significant bylaw,” Guadet said. “We are in the midst of reviewing it for some updates and rewrites.”
The event will be held Sept. 30, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at SugarBelle Cakery & DIY located at #25 Beju Industrial Dr.
reporter@sylvanlakenews.com