Thread by @meksmith

#yyccc is back. We're starting off with the continuation of the public hearing on neighbourhood speed limits, but so far, no one who signed up to speak seems to be on the line...

Oh we've got two people on the phone! #yyccc

Also last night #yyccc unanimously accepted all the council compensation review committee's recommendations. That means they're getting a pay freeze in 2021, among other things: calgaryherald.com/news/local-new…

The public hearing is done. Coun. Jeff Davison, who chairs the transportation and transit committee, is speaking now. He says 10 of his 11 community associations support changing the unposted speed limit in neighbourhoods to 40 km/h, and as a parent, he thinks it's a good idea.

Davison: "Frankly, the city's been talking about this for two decades ... what we have here is a city-wide solution that would save tens of millions dollars each budget cycle, not to mention lives." #yyccc

Coun. Druh Farrell is speaking now. She says #yyccc needs to remember that after the last election, councillors all said they heard concerns about speeding and road safety while door-knocking.

Farrell: "Is a minute or two on your daily commute worth a life? I would say yes." #yyccc

Coun. Shane Keating says lowering the speed limit will reduce injuries and damage, and he thinks compliance will be very high. He says the system will mostly penalize people who are flouting the rules and don't really care. #yyccc

Keating: "I think this is a brilliant move. 40 km/h is the right speed to start with." #yyccc

Coun. Jeromy Farkas is up now. He has not been in favour of lowering residential speed limits and he still is not. He says #yyccc would be better off focusing on "problem areas" for speeding rather than a "one-size-fits-all" solution.

Mayor Naheed Nenshi says there's been an "extraordinary amount of misinformation" around the speed limit discussion. "People are hearing what they want to hear," he said. "I am worried that if we take this to the electors, there will be huge campaigns of misinformation." #yyccc

Nenshi says this change could pay for itself within three months with the money saved in damage, resources etc. #yyccc

Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart says there's "no silver bullet solution" to public safety but police have told her people typically follow speed limits in neighbourhoods now, and it's not as if a lower limit will be unenforceable. #yyccc

City traffic safety leader Tony Churchill says if Calgary can build the system so that people don't have to behave perfectly to avoid being injured or killed, that should be the aim. #yyccc

Coun. Evan Woolley says the speed limit issue has been studied "to death" and it's time for #yyccc to act. He says reducing the unposted residential speed limit to 40 km/h is the "very least" they should do.

Coun. Peter Demong says speed limits are "obviously a controversial subject" and he'd like to see the question go to a plebiscite in the 2021 municipal election. Here's the amendment he's proposing #yyccc

Farrell says #yyccc shouldn't support this amendment. She has "no faith" that the conversation won't be tainted by misinformation, and she says council should just take the opportunity to vote on the issue today.

Coun. Woolley, Carra, Gondek all say they don't support taking this question to a plebiscite. Coun. Sutherland says he's been struggling with constituents who have been misinformed and don't know what the changes will actually be. #yyccc

Nenshi says #yyccc is elected to get familiar with issues, listen to experts, and make a decision. If Calgarians don't like it, they can get rid of all of council next year. He says even in the public hearing, people weren't listening to the person who spoke right before.

Demong says it's almost like there's a "fear" of asking Calgarians a specific question. "Sometimes there are big issues that we should specifically ask our citizens," he says. #yyccc

VOTE to refer speed limit discussion to February and look at a plebiscite for neighbourhood speed limits CARRIED 8-6. #yyccc
Davison: Y
Demong: Y
Farkas: Y
Farrell: N
Gondek: N
Keating: N
Magliocca: Y
Sutherland: Y
Woolley: N
Carra: N
Chahal: Y
Chu: Y
Colley-Urquhart: Y
Nenshi: N

So no decision is going to be made on lowering speed limits on residential or collector roads today. It's been kicked to February, when city staff will also give some info about a possible plebiscite added to the 2021 municipal ballot. #yyccc

The plebiscite isn't a sure thing. #yyccc will just get more info about it in February and decide what to do. They could also just sign off on lowering speed limits at that point.

More to come on this: calgaryherald.com/news/local-new… #yyccc

#yyccc is back on after some time behind closed doors talking to the integrity commissioner hiring committee.

#yyccc is about to vote on a motion to approve the appointment of the new integrity commissioner. But who are they? The name is not yet public. This person would replace former commissioner Sal LoVecchio.

#yyccc accepted the appointment of the new integrity commissioner unanimously.

It's nearing 3 p.m. on day 2 of this meeting and #yyccc still hasn't gotten to the discussion on the 11 new developments. Jesus take the wheel.

Mayor Nenshi is trying to see if #yyccc will support a move to stop work on contracting out city-owned golf courses. A council committee heard there have been few expressions of interest, and crafting a full request for proposals will be resource-intensive.

Back in March a #yyccc committee heard this work would cost $2.25 million, so the city went to test the market before starting the full RFP process: calgaryherald.com/news/local-new…

Nenshi's motion to stop work on privatizing city-run golf courses lost. #yyccc

News on ward representation now that Ward 10 Coun. Ray Jones is officially retired — here's how Coun. George Chahal and Gian-Carlo Carra will split up the neighbourhoods Jones previously represented. Only until the 2021 election. #yyccc

Jones was also previously the chair of the co-ordinating committee of the councillors office (CCCO) which, among other things, is responsible for signing off on councillor expenses. That will change amid expense reforms underway. Coun. Diane Colley-Urquhart is the chair now.

#yyccc just agreed to "request" that the city's returning officer include links to candidate donation disclosures, if they provide them. Cities can no longer require that candidates disclose, per the province's changes to the Local Authorities Election Act.

#yyccc has also approved a motion from Coun. Farkas requesting the Mayor Nenshi write to the municipal affairs minister and ask that she restore cities' ability to require campaign donation disclosures.

#yyccc is looking at setting time to come back tomorrow afternoon because there is still a large agenda ahead and it's now 4:30 p.m. Coun. Woolley is making a request that council try to get through the 11 new developments discussion but stop at 7 p.m.

That motion fails. I guess we're going to 9:30 tonight.

Honestly... I may cry. #yyccc

Ok, we're onto the new community growth strategy, aka the debate on 11 new developments on the fringes of Calgary. This is probably the biggest item of the whole agenda, so here we go. #yyccc

Here's a more detailed look at developing communities, the 14 new communities #yyccc approved in 2018, and the 11 new developments up for consideration now:

Several councillors have amendments to the administration recommendation that says "don't approve any of the 11 developments." Coun. Joe Magliocca will be up first with alternative recommendations that say, essentially, "actually, approve all 11." #yyccc

Coun. Farrell is asking a city official to talk about the implications of the new developments on the climate plan. Climate change and environment manager Dick Ebersohn says bringing in new developments contributes to the increase in greenhouse gas emissions. #yyccc

This meeting heavily features Coun. Keating's dog, who is barking near-constantly in the background while he speaks 😂

Here comes Coun. Magliocca's motion. It looks a bit different from what he put forward at committee. He says there's "tremendous demand" for new housing in the northwest and if #yyccc rejects the new developments "massive layoffs" will result.

Coun. Carra asks for a city administration response to that because it comes in opposition to what staff have said. Response: no net new jobs will be created by the 11 new developments. #yyccc

I want to keep live-tweeting #yyccc discussion on the 11 new developments tonight but it's kind of like shouting into a vortex of American politics news...

Coun. Evan Woolley says he made a mistake voting in favour of the 14 new communities in 2018. He says there's tons of risk associated with approving these 11 developments. #yyccc

Woolley points out that less than half of the 14 new communities in 2018 have begun stripping and grading for buildout, so hope of investment and jobs created by these 11 developments won't materialize for some time either — the ones approved in 2018 haven't yet generated that.

Magliocca says without approving at least some of these 11 proposals now, the city will be behind on developments a couple years down the line. (The city has said the communities approved in 2018 are behind their targets on the development process.) #yyccc

Magliocca's motion is shot down 4-10 #yyccc
Demong: N
Farkas: N
Farrell: N
Gondek: N
Keating: Y
Magliocca: Y
Sutherland: Y
Woolley: N
Carra: N
Chahal: N
Chu: Y
Colley-Urquhart: N
Davison: N
Nenshi: N

#yyccc is back after dinner break. Now discussing administration recommendations on the 11 new developments, with amendments to come from, I think, Coun. Carra and Gondek.

Carra has a very complicated amendment on the floor that has to do with transportation planning and transit corridors for East Belvedere communities. It doesn't ask for a yes or no on any of the 11 new developments, but affects how future planning happens in that area. #yyccc

Carra's amendment is approved.
Coun. Keating is now putting forward an amendment to approve business case # 7, from developer WestCreek, on the far southeast end of the city. #yyccc

Nenshi says his opinion on these developments is that they may all make sense when assessed on their own, but overall, demand for new supply just isn't there and there's nothing wrong with telling developers they need to wait a couple years. #yyccc

Davison says he agrees with the mayor but this particular development could be worthwhile considering. He says there's already "pipe in the ground" for development there, and he's willing to support it. "The rest of them I struggle to see how we're going to get there." #yyccc

Gondek: "I think this brings us back to the very beginning where we either fight for what's in our ward or we think about what's good for the city." #yyccc

Farkas says he agrees with that. He doesn't think #yyccc should "devolve into picking winners and losers" right now. "My concern here is timing," he says. He's worried about approving these developments and then heading into a budget where emergency services get cut.

Keating says this development is a "remnant piece" that's totally covered by existing infrastructure and he doesn't understand why other councillors consider approving it "pitting wards against wards." #yyccc

VOTE to approve the WestCreek development on the southeast edge of Calgary FAILS 9-5. #yyccc
Farrell: N
Gondek: N
Keating: Y
Magliocca: Y
Sutherland: Y
Woolley: N
Carra: N
Chahal: N
Chu: Y
Colley-Urquhart: N
Davison: Y
Demong: N
Farkas: N
Nenshi: N

Keating has another motion to approve *part* of the Ricardo Ranch development proposed in southeast Calgary. This is by far the biggest development of the 11 and would be an actual new community. #yyccc

Keating's second proposal fails too, this time 11-3. Only Coun. Chu and Magliocca were with him on this one. #yyccc

Gondek has an amendment that, like Carra's, is quite complex but also doesn't change the number of developments they will/won't approve today. It has to do with infrastructure planning and road widths #yyccc

Gondek's amendment is approved 9-5. #yyccc

🚨 #yyccc IS FINALLY ABOUT TO VOTE ON THE MAIN MOTION FOR THE 11 NEW DEVELOPMENTS 🚨

Here is the motion on the floor. It would reject all 11 new developments for now but invite proponents to come back and present their cases again in 2022. It also has Carra and Gondek's added amendments. #yyccc

#yyccc accepts administration's recommendations not to approve the 11 new developments 13-1. Only Coun. Sutherland opposed.

Gondek now has this motion arising:

#yyccc is considering Coun. Evan Woolley's motion at *checks time* just before 9 p.m. hoooo boy. Background: calgaryherald.com/news/local-new…

Coun. Druh Farrell says the police budget continues to be massive while programs that address the root causes of crime are underfunded. "I think we've finally realized that we've been going down the wrong path." #yyccc

Carra says the information Woolley's motion is asking for is needed for #yyccc to make a good decision about the police budget during budget adjustments later this month.

Farkas is asking whether the CPS is the "majority" of the city's budget.
It is not. the $400 million police budget is about 10 per cent of the overall ~$4 billion operating budget, but they *are* the biggest-cost item overall.
Public transit has a ~$250 million annual budget.

Fire and emergency response is another very significant city budget line item but it also has an annual budget of around $230 million. #yyccc
I have not ever heard anyone claim CPS makes up the "majority" of the city budget, but correct me if I'm wrong.

Farkas says Woolley's motion has "something of value" but he wants the investment in other social agencies to come from the fiscal stability reserve, not from the CPS budget. #yyccc

Woolley says throwing one-time money from council's rainy-day fund at social agencies creates more problems down the road — there's no sustainability, and he doesn't want to take that approach. #yyccc

Gondek says as a former council rep on police commission, she can tell everyone that commission took feedback from #yyccc and the public very seriously to look at their budget and consider reallocating budget to external organizations.

Farkas calls this a "clumsy and dangerous attempt" to cut police funding, Gondek objects, says she "will not tolerate" language calling this an appeal to "extremist groups." #yyccc

Nenshi asks Farkas to withdraw the comment that this is a "dangerous attempt to appease extremists." Farkas refuses. Nenshi asks him what he meant by that statement and if he doesn't withdraw it, says Farkas's mic will be cut. #yyccc

Farkas says the comment stands, he won't withdraw, Nenshi says, "OK then you're done." Now Demong is objecting, saying it wasn't an acceptable question of privilege. But Nenshi says as the chair he believes it acceptable, it stands, Farkas has been cut off. #yyccc

Some spicy times at #yyccc very late at night tonight.

VOTE on Farkas's amendment: LOST 4-10. #yyccc

Coun. Chu says the recent incident of a police officer being charged with assault shows "the system is working" and police officers do not like "bad apples" affecting their reputation. (Chu is a former CPS officer) #yyccc

Chu: "This is riding the coattails of the misguided ideology of defunding the police." #yyccc

Davison says he isn't interested in defunding the police, but he is interested in funding "appropriate resources." He says the city needs to look at how they could potentially fund an alternate agency that doesn't need to call police in as well. #yyccc

Davison says he's "interested" in supporting Woolley's motion today because he wants to have a broader conversation about the right crisis agency, but "it isn't as simple as saying reallocate or defund the police." #yyccc

Chahal: "Rather than getting into inflammatory rhetoric of defund and cuts ... it's really about who's the right agency to do the work and help people in need." #yyccc

Demong says he thinks it makes sense to set up programs that can have sustainable funding for crisis supports, but he doesn't understand why that has to have a "negative impact" on the CPS budget. He's also concerned about taking over responsibilities that fall to the province.

VOTE on Woolley's request for info on CPS budget reallocation CARRIED 9-5 #yyccc
Woolley: Y
Carra: Y
Chahal: Y
Chu: N
Colley-Urquhart: N
Davison: Y
Demong N
Farkas: N
Farrell: Y
Gondek: Y
Keating: Y
Magliocca: N
Sutherland: Y
Nenshi: Y

Will have a story on the police funding motion in the morning because folks, even I have a limit for tonight. #yyccc

This meeting is adjourned and we will finish up day 3 staring at 1 p.m. tomorrow.
lol bye