County Council Quarterly Report to the Community
Time for another quarterly County update. It truly is amazing how the time flies! Council has adopted the strategic plan for this electoral term. There are very few changes to the plan from the previous council’s plan, which will provide stability for staff, taxpayers and potential investors and developers. You may notice in some of the recent announcements that other rural municipalities are heavily investing in services, such as water and wastewater to industrial developments and others are investing in fiber infrastructure.
Reeve Angela AalbersOur County continues to adopt the developer pays model. We don’t believe that using taxpayer dollars to spend millions on infrastructure build-out to attract development is the best use of funds. We are focused to investing in our existing infrastructure and services, delivering services through our partners, like fire and recreation opportunities inside urban centers, and providing investment opportunities through our statutory plans. The principles of our land use planning documents have remained unchanged.
The County is very pleased with the progress we have made with the Town of Olds through our Inter-Municipal Collaboration Committee regarding fire negotiations. Both municipalities have agreed that it is in the best interest of our residents to return to the negotiating table to work through issues on the fire services agreement. Those discussion are ongoing, and we look forward to working towards an amicable solution. In the interim, fire services continue to be delivered as they have historically been to our rural residents and businesses. I would like to thank Mayor Judy Dahl and her council for their willingness to re-engage on fire negotiations and to our administrations for their efforts to provide the information needed to have successful discussions.
The County has introduced a business support pilot project for this year. The pilot project will temporarily allow properties with approved Development Permits for Business Agri-Tourism, Public Riding Arenas, and Event Facilities and Businesses within applicable Direct Control Districts to provide unserviced, overnight, self-contained accommodation and host additional events associated with the approved uses (contained within Development Permits). The pilot project runs until October 31, 2022. Administration will prepare a report and recommendation for council to consider based on the results. This is in line with our strategic plan to support business diversification and retention.
Building on our communication strategy, the County strives to make information more accessible and applications and service requests easier to submit. We launched our new website in May, providing easier access to information in an increased user-friendly manner. Services that can be accessed online includes: fire permits, fireworks permits, development permit applications (through the permit portal), seasonal dust control applications, annual County grant program applications, FCSS funding applications, road use agreement applications, private approach applications, service and bylaw complaint submissions, monthly pre-authorized debit tax payment applications, access to interactive GIS maps for assessment values and more, and access to agendas and minutes from County Council and committees.
If you have not already downloaded the County Mobile App, I highly recommend you do. The app is easy to use and contains all the relevant County information, as well as real time updates on County programs, services, and emergency alerts. App users can also report road issues and weed infestations which is submitted directly to the county’s operational and agricultural departments. The app can also be used to submit bylaw complaints, obtain fire permits and report a crime watch notification.
At the May 25th Council meeting, Council approved a recommendation from our policy review committee to move from a seasonal fire permit requirement (March 1st – October 31st) to a year-round fire permit requirement. The changes are meant to reduce unnecessary call outs from our fire departments. By instituting year-round fire permits, our fire departments will be more aware of when and where controlled burns will be occurring and be able to respond accordingly. The fire permits are free and can be obtained on the County website or the app.
Our staff are busy with executing the summer operational workplan. This includes brushing, ditching, pothole filling, re-gravelling, chip-sealing, base stabilization, and culvert replacement. However, the extreme wet weather in June has been hard on our roads and has caused delays in delivering the work programs. After the heavy rains, our gravel roads became quite soft. This softness led to rutting, potholes, and wash boarding in roads shortly after the rain stopped. We ask that residents are patient while crews grade all the roads to correct these issues. If there is a major concern, please call Operational Services or download the County App and report it. You can always call your local Councillor as well.
After being alerted by flood forecasting, the County began to prepare for the possibility of a flood on Sunday, June 14th. County Crews moved barricades, signs, generators, and equipment to Sundre and Cremona in anticipation. Westward Ho Campers’ Association was notified, and the Bergen gravel pit was made available for campers to park their RV’s. Water Valley Campground was closed, and all campers were asked to leave. The County did close some roads due to water crossing them but were able to re-open them the next day once the water levels dropped. Our roads did not sustain significant damage from the overland flooding and are all open again. As part of our flood response to assist residents the County made sandbags available at the Sundre sand and salt shed at the end of 10th Street. A limited amount of ready to use sandbags were available as well as stockpiled sand and bags for residents to self-fill and use. To be prepared for future emergencies, flood related or otherwise, we encourage residents to have a 72-hour plan. Additional information on personal preparedness plans can be found at www.getprepared.gc.ca and www.alberta.ca/resources-for-your-community.aspx. The County has also created a McDougal flats preparedness guide which can be found on the county website by typing in “flood preparedness” in the search function. The same information and principles apply to any part of the County near a flooding water body.
We have had some great community engagement opportunities this quarter, from Councillor open houses to the McDougal solar / community amenity project, to our Canada day breakfast. It is always a pleasure to meet with residents and engage on important issues. If there is something you would like to discuss, please contact your local Councillor or county administration. Please be aware that the councillor summer break is from July 18th to August 5th, and you may not be able to reach your councillor during this time.
We want to thank all the hard-working volunteers in Mountain View County, including those from our urban partner municipalities. Mountain view County stands with all our volunteers who tirelessly donate their time, money, and heart to support our wonderful communities so the rest of us can enjoy. Please make an effort to thank a volunteer, they need your support more now than ever.
I would also like to acknowledge the passing of Mountain View County’s former Reeve, Syd Vollmin, and the former Division 6 Councillor, Ken Heck. Both men were community focused, and we are a better municipality because of their efforts.
Contact Information:
403-335-3311 ext 110 (office)
aaalbers@mvcounty.com