Coun. Dave Austin is ready to continue his work with the city.

At Monday evening's council meeting, Austin confirmed he is running for re-election in October, seeking a fifth term in the position.

"I still have the enthusiasm and the interest,” he told reporters after the meeting.

The 70-year-old, who works as the projects and operations co-ordinator for the territory's technology infrastructure and operations, was the final council member to confirm his plans for the Oct. 18 vote.

He had repeatedly told the media throughout the summer that he and his wife would be sitting down with a bottle of wine to discuss his plans.

They had that long discussion and decided he would run again, he said.

After confusion last night over the vote on rezoning to allow a townhouse development on Hillcrest Drive – with third reading eventually being deferred – Austin noted in the coming term there may be some council process issues to work on, along with the ongoing concern over housing.

Ultimately, though, he noted the priorities for the coming term will be set by the incoming council after the election when the entire group gets together to discuss how they want to proceed in the coming three years.

While Austin is certainly a veteran councillor, he said even after 12 years on the job, "I am still learning.”

He was clear that he does not support the development of the proposed Porter Creek D residential area near McIntyre Creek.

A number of community organizations and individuals have spoken out against developing the area, citing the negative impact it would have on the creek and the wildlife that use the area as a corridor.

Austin placed sixth in the 2009 election, securing the final council seat with 1,750 votes.

Also seeking re-election are councillors Kirk Cameron, Betty Irwin and Dave Stockdale. Mayor Bev Buckway and councillors Ranj Pillai and Florence Roberts have said they won't run in October's election.

Prospective council members have until noon Thursday to get their nominations in.

So far, 16 people – including the four councillors seeking re-election – have filed their nomination papers to run for the six councillor positions, with four filing their nomination papers for the mayoralty.