More telephone town halls to come in St. Paul

In light of the success of the telephone town hall with the RCMP earlier this month, the Town of St. Paul plans to use a similar format for other upcoming public discussions.

Discussions would include the strategic plan, waste bins, and land use bylaw.

In a report to council on Monday night, CAO Kim Heyman said there were 45 participants in the town hall meeting.

“I was kind of hoping for a few more than 45 people. But then when I look back at what our annual general meeting was a year ago where we had two people show up, and at our cannabis meeting where I think we had one person show up; I think it was pretty cool,” said Heyman.

According to the report, three calls were rejected, 16 went to voicemail, 19 called in to the toll-free line, and 26 callers participated for the entire duration of the call.

Mayor Maureen Miller called the telephone town hall a “very positive experience.”

“We had sat down and had taken questions that had come through council over the course of the last six months to a year, questions that had come to the RCMP as well as to Trevor Kotowich. And some of those so we had planned so if they weren’t asked, we knew they had been asked of us at some point throughout the six months.

“So we actually had them as canned questions, so we would be able to go back out to the public knowing that they had already been asked of us,” said Miller.

According to the report all eight of the stock questions the town had planned before the meeting were used, but there were also three live audience questions received.

Four poll questions were also answered:

Dates for future town halls are:

• Waste Management Bins – Nov. 3
• Strategic Plan – Nov. 26
• Land Use Bylaw – Jan. 13

Heyman said the town also plans to try and advertise them with an insert in the next utility mailing if possible.